Plate 14: Ferdinand on a voyage with the Argonauts; from Guillielmus Becanus's 'Serenissimi Principis Ferdinandi, Hispaniarum Infantis...' 1636

Jacobus van Schoor produced this engraving, Plate 14, in the 17th century as part of a series to celebrate the voyages of Ferdinand, a Spanish prince. But rather than depicting real voyages, the series places Ferdinand in classical myths, here as one of Jason’s Argonauts. The image creates meaning through a careful combination of classical and contemporary references. The figures are dressed in a mix of classical armor and 17th-century clothing, which was a common visual strategy in the 1600s for ennobling contemporary figures. Note how the artist has combined a scene from ancient mythology with a contemporary political agenda. To fully understand this print, we might research the political climate of 17th-century Spain and the role of the monarchy in promoting its image through art and literature. The imagery would have served as a form of propaganda, linking the Spanish monarchy to the glory and heroism of classical antiquity.