Schatmeester 1587 - 1596

This is a print called 'Schatmeester', or Treasurer, made by an anonymous artist. It uses etching to depict a well-dressed figure standing above scenes of commerce and military activity. Prints like this one circulated widely in the Dutch Republic. This was a society transformed by its financial success after breaking free of Spanish rule. The image plays on the idea of the Treasurer as someone overseeing the profits of trade and the costs of war. The figure’s opulent clothing and confident pose embody the Republic’s new mercantile elite. But the print may also offer a critique. Is the Treasurer a symbol of wise management, or of excessive self-interest? Understanding this image requires knowledge of Dutch history, economics, and the culture of printmaking. Researching period documents such as account books, political pamphlets, and inventories of print collections can shed light on its meaning and significance. Art is always a product of particular social and institutional conditions.