Soldaten met twee gevangenen bij toren 1782

Auguste de Bouillé's print "Soldiers with two prisoners near a tower" is a stark image of power and subjugation realized in ink on paper. Likely created in the late 18th century, this piece resonates with the era’s revolutionary fervor and colonial tensions, where the identities of soldier and prisoner were fraught with political significance. Here we see an officer leading two blindfolded prisoners away from a fortified tower. Guns are abandoned on the ground. The officer’s sneering face and the prisoners' forced submission offer a glimpse into the brutality of power dynamics during this period. The inscription "Be not surprised if you are seized" drives home the vulnerability of the captured. The print's stark depiction serves as a reminder of the human cost of conflict. It invites reflection on the narratives of dominance and resistance that continue to shape our world. The artwork forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about the exercise of authority and the erasure of individual identities in the face of political conflict.