Gevecht tussen soldaten te paard 1666

Abraham Dircksz Santvoort created this etching, "Combat between Soldiers on Horseback," in the Netherlands sometime in the mid-17th century. It presents an imagined vision of military conflict. The image conveys meaning through its visual codes. For example, the clash between soldiers, the fallen figure, and the distant fortress conjure up a sense of upheaval and instability that was common to much of Europe at this time. The work was created during the period known as the Dutch Golden Age, a time of great wealth and artistic production. However, this was also a time of near-constant war, as the Dutch Republic struggled to maintain its independence from Spain and other European powers. How might the prevalence of war have shaped the ways in which artists and audiences understood such imagery? To answer that we might consult a range of period sources, from military histories to popular songs and poems. The meaning of an artwork like this resides not only in the image itself, but in the complex web of social and institutional relations in which it was made and consumed.