De dwerg Pantaleon Bürgman van de Zwitserse Garde te Rome, ca. 1710 1705 - 1715

This color etching of Pantaleon Bürgman, a dwarf in the Swiss Guard in Rome, was made around 1710 by Martin Engelbrecht. Engelbrecht was a German printmaker and publisher, whose workshop produced single-leaf prints as well as illustrations for books. The Swiss Guard, of course, has a long history of protecting the Vatican. This image presents the social role of the military through caricature. Pantaleon's exaggerated features and stout physique would have been humorous to Engelbrecht's audience. The text beneath the etching, while difficult to read today, may offer additional insights into the cultural context of the work, including its social commentary. To understand this etching more fully, we need to look at prints, popular culture and the history of the Swiss Guard in the 18th century. By combining an analysis of the image with attention to its socio-political context, we can better appreciate its historical significance.