Portret van Johan 't Serclaes, graaf van Tilly 1620 - 1675

Lucas Vorsterman the Elder created this engraving of Johan 't Serclaes, the Count of Tilly, sometime in the first half of the 17th century. This image exists within a complex web of social and cultural meanings. Engravings like this one, produced in the Netherlands, helped to shape public perceptions of military and political leaders across Europe. The allegorical figures surrounding Tilly’s portrait—the angels with trumpets, the shackled figures—work to construct a narrative of triumph and subjugation. Tilly was a key commander in the Thirty Years' War, a conflict that devastated much of Europe and was rooted in religious and political divisions. So it is a resolutely political image. To fully understand this work, we need to delve into the history of the period, examining pamphlets, letters, and other visual materials that circulated at the time. Only then can we appreciate the full power and complexity of this image.