Karmeliet presenteert een boek aan koning Karel V 1729 - 1733

Dominique Sornique created this work, "Karmeliet presenteert een boek aan koning Karel V," an engraving, in the 18th century. The eye is immediately drawn to the symmetrical composition, where a central column supports an elaborate Gothic arch, framing the figures below. The interplay of vertical and horizontal lines creates a sense of formal order, disrupted only by the kneeling figure offering a book to the seated king. The subjects, rendered in detailed line work, convey a sense of texture and weight, highlighting the importance of material culture within the scene. The careful arrangement of figures and architectural elements suggests a deliberate construction of power relations. The semiotic weight of the book as a symbol of knowledge and authority is placed within the context of royal patronage, reflecting the artist's engagement with the structures of knowledge and power during the Enlightenment. This print, therefore, functions not just as a historical record but as a complex visual argument about the relationship between knowledge, authority, and representation.