Begrafenisstoet van Willem van Oranje, blad 7 1584 - 1638

Hendrick Goltzius created this print, 'Begrafenisstoet van Willem van Oranje, blad 7' sometime in the late 16th or early 17th century. At first glance, a procession unfolds in a frieze-like composition, dominated by repetition and linear precision. The figures, uniformly cloaked, advance with solemnity, each carrying heraldic symbols. Above them, bold lettering spells out a name, anchoring the scene's symbolic weight. The use of engraving lends a graphic clarity to the event, yet this very clarity raises questions. What is the relationship between the individual and the collective? How does the artist use the procession to suggest a play between public spectacle and private grief? By presenting us with a series of figures in near-identical poses, Goltzius seems to be making a statement about representation itself. He destabilizes the viewer's conventional understanding of commemorative art. Consider how this formal arrangement doesn’t just record a historical event. Instead, it invites us to contemplate the very structures of power and memory.