Gravin Maria XXXII en graven Maximiliaan XXXIII, Filips XXXIV, Karel XXXV en Filips XXXVI Possibly 1584 - 1652

This engraving, dating from the 16th century and held at the Rijksmuseum, presents a linear composition of five figures, rendered in a style that emphasizes detailed ornamentation and symbolic heraldry. The figures stand stiffly, adorned in elaborate robes and armour that invite us to consider the semiotics of power and status. The texture, achieved through fine, cross-hatched lines, gives a tactile quality to their garments. Hendrick Goltzius uses the formal structure of each figure to construct a narrative of lineage and authority. Notice how each figure is paired with text below that functions as a kind of legend, further grounding their identities. This interplay between image and text highlights the structuralist idea that meaning is derived from the relationships between different elements within a system. The artwork thus destabilizes the traditional image of nobility, presenting it instead as a constructed identity, reliant on visual signs and textual reinforcement. The work's rigorous composition draws attention to how power is visually codified. This encoding of visual elements reflects the philosophical idea that art serves not just as representation, but as a system of signs that actively shapes our understanding of the world.