Komst van de hulptroepen op Malta 1665

Antonio Francesco Lucini made this etching of the arrival of relief troops on Malta sometime between 1610 and 1710. It commemorates a specific moment: September 7, 1565. But it also connects to broader themes in the cultural and institutional history of early modern Europe. The image recreates the end of the Great Siege of Malta. In that year the Ottoman Empire attempted to take the island, then held by the Knights of Malta. Here, the arrival of Christian reinforcements breaks the siege and saves the Knights. We should consider this image in its social and political context. Lucini made it in Italy. The victory it depicts was of great political importance to the papacy and the Italian states. The etching also demonstrates how art, even in this early form of mass media, could serve as propaganda, bolstering morale and reinforcing a sense of shared identity. To understand art's meaning, we might turn to letters, diaries, and diplomatic records. These sources can help us understand art as something contingent on social context, institutions, and power.