A soldier pouring powder into the pan, from the Marksmen series, plate 16, in Waffenhandlung von den Rören Musquetten undt Spiessen / Wapenhandelinghe van Roers Musquetten ende Spiessen (The Exercise of Arms) 1608

Jacques de Gheyn II created this print, A Soldier Pouring Powder into the Pan, as part of his “Exercise of Arms” series. The composition centers on the figure of a soldier, meticulously depicted with fine, precise lines. Note how Gheyn uses hatching and cross-hatching to create depth and texture, especially in the soldier's clothing and the complex mechanism of his musket. The neutral background emphasizes the stark reality of military preparation, devoid of any romanticism. The series functions almost like a manual, breaking down the complex actions of loading and firing a musket into a sequence of distinct steps. In this sense, we can see a parallel to the scientific and philosophical inquiries of the period, which sought to understand and categorize the world through systematic observation and representation. Gheyn’s work embodies this intersection of art and science, reflecting the era’s emphasis on precision and empirical knowledge. The artist here isn't just capturing an image, but is dissecting a process.