Spotprent op Johan Jacob le Sage ten Broek, 1787 1787

This print, made in 1787 by an anonymous artist, uses etching to lampoon Johan Jacob le Sage ten Broek. The image places his head on a pair of walking trousers – ‘de Broek’ in Dutch – showing him fleeing with a box of cockades, political emblems of the Patriot faction. This was a time of political upheaval in the Netherlands, with Patriots challenging the power of the Stadtholder, William V, and his supporters. Le Sage ten Broek was a prominent Patriot and professor of law, dismissed from his post for his political views. The print is full of coded references to the political climate, reflecting the deep divisions within Dutch society. Note the dog in the lower left, standing on a plinth inscribed with the word 'Biblia', suggesting that Le Sage ten Broek and the Patriot faction undermined the church. Understanding this artwork requires delving into the social and institutional history of the Dutch Republic at the end of the 18th century. Contemporary pamphlets, political treatises, and even popular songs can shed light on the context in which this image was created and the meanings it would have conveyed to its original audience.