Standbeeld van een jongen met officiersstok 1636 - 1647

Cornelis Bloemaert made this print of a statue of a boy holding a staff in the Netherlands sometime before 1684. It shows us the cultural values placed on youth, authority, and classical ideals at the time. The image presents a nude male figure, reminiscent of ancient Greek or Roman sculptures, holding what seems to be a staff indicating rank. This tells us that the Dutch in this period admired the art of the past and wanted to emulate the political systems they were thought to represent. The Dutch Republic, in which Bloemaert lived, was governed by merchants and city officials. But the imagery circulating in Dutch culture was often that of military leaders and imperial authority. More research would be needed to understand who this image was for, why the artist made it, and what it tells us about the institutions of Dutch art at the time.