Hertug Christian Albrechts indtog i Kiel 1665 - 1669

Curator: I’m struck by the precision of detail in this print. It's overwhelmingly linear. Editor: This engraving captures “Hertug Christian Albrechts indtog i Kiel”—or, in English, Duke Christian Albrecht's Entry into Kiel. Created sometime between 1665 and 1669, it commemorates a key historical event for the city, now located in Northern Germany. Curator: Entry into Kiel. Looking at it through the lens of power and privilege, the repetitive depiction of soldiers on horseback and carriages creates a dizzying display of dominance. It almost feels oppressive. I want to know what these entrants meant for those being entered. Editor: Absolutely, that perspective is critical. What’s remarkable to me is how this print not only chronicles history but also embeds cultural memory through visual language. The use of horses as symbols of power, for example, has a long history dating back millennia. You can see each regiment depicted distinctly, but notice the strategic use of hierarchical scale placing Albrecht above the people? Curator: It definitely serves as propaganda reinforcing social order through visual spectacle. The procession becomes a physical embodiment of authority. Is this celebration for all of Kiel, or just its elite? Editor: An interesting point, because these cityscapes often serve dual functions: documenting an event and legitimizing a ruler. Consider, too, that the cityscape in the background appears very rudimentary—suggesting that perhaps the artist aimed to portray Kiel as a backdrop for the ruler, and not the other way around. Curator: You’re right, there's almost a dehumanization within the march, all in service of maintaining hierarchy. As a representation, what is the cost to Kiel’s cultural identity in the piece? Editor: That’s what stays with me as well—what is deliberately included, what is subtly emphasized, and what ends up left out from such formal commemorative works? How do we then read those elisions, today?