Begrafenisoptocht voor een koning 1600 - 1700

Cornelis Visscher created this etching, "Funeral Procession for a King," during the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by immense economic prosperity and cultural flourishing in the Netherlands, but also, of course, by stark social hierarchies. In this small but evocative print, Visscher captures the somber yet performative nature of royal mourning. The king, adorned with his crown, is carried in state, his body laid out for public viewing, while men and women from different social strata follow in procession. What is so interesting here is the record of the way grief is codified through social position, and articulated through gestures of class. Everyone from torch bearers to musicians, from children to formally dressed women participate in this display. Visscher invites us to reflect on the spectacle of death and the consolidation of power, prompting us to consider whose stories are told and whose are relegated to the background. It is a fascinating piece of social commentary.