Titelprent voor de beschrijving van de intocht van aartshertog Ernst als gouverneur der Nederlanden te Brussel, 1594 1594

This print, made in 1594 by an anonymous artist, commemorates the arrival of Archduke Ernst as governor of the Netherlands. It’s made from an engraving, a process dependent on metalworking skills. The design is incised into a copper plate, inked, and then printed onto paper. Look closely, and you’ll see how the engraver used line to create a range of textures and tones. The density of the lines builds up the darker areas, while sparse lines denote areas of light, resulting in a detailed depiction of the Archduke's procession. Engraving was a skilled trade, typically learned through apprenticeship and practiced within a workshop. This print would have been relatively inexpensive to produce, making it accessible to a broad audience. It thus served as a potent form of political communication, reinforcing the Archduke's authority, in the midst of the conflict between the Netherlands and Spain. By understanding the print's materiality and production, we can appreciate its significance as a medium of power, politics, and cultural expression.