Titelpagina voor: J. de la Pise, Tableau de l'histoire des princes et principauté d'Orange, 1639 1637 - 1639

This is Crispijn van de Passe the Younger's title page, made in 1639 for J. de la Pise's history of the princes of Orange. Created during the Dutch Golden Age, it reflects the era’s complex relationship between commerce, colonialism, and aristocratic power. The image is filled with symbolic figures: classical nudes, armored warriors, and scholarly women, all surrounding an empty space waiting for text. Each of these figures are laden with the weight of representation. The tension between the female allegories and the male rulers speaks to the gendered dynamics of power, where women are used as symbols to legitimize male authority. Notice how indigenous populations, often the silent victims of colonial ambition, are absent, rendering them invisible within this visual narrative. Van de Passe’s tableau thus serves not just as a historical record, but also as a reflection on the selective nature of history itself. It's a reminder of who gets to write history, and whose stories are left untold.