Ontwerp voor een allegorie op de meerderjarigheid van Willem V, 1766 1766

This is Reinier Vinkeles' 1766 drawing, "Ontwerp voor een allegorie op de meerderjarigheid van Willem V," made using graphite. The sketch, held at the Rijksmuseum, presents a semi-circular composition filled with allegorical figures set within a landscape. The light graphite lines create a sense of ethereal movement. The composition is divided into three horizontal bands. The upper band features figures floating in the sky, the middle displays a faint crowd, and the lower focuses on floral and vegetative elements framing the scene. Vinkeles uses line to define form but leaves the scene open to interpretation. The figures and landscape are lightly sketched, leaving space for the viewer to engage with the artwork's intended symbolism. The drawing embodies the characteristics of allegory through its use of symbolic figures and complex composition. The semi-circular structure can be seen as a deliberate choice, emphasizing the cyclical nature of power, or the idea of an encompassing and harmonious reign. This artistic technique invites us to consider the philosophical underpinnings of governance and the visual rhetoric of 18th-century political art.