Copy of Le Guerrier au Chapeau Orné d'une Grande Plume (The Officer with a Large Feather in His Hat), from La Noblesse (The Nobility) 1625 - 1700

This engraving at the Met, a copy of "The Officer with a Large Feather in His Hat," uses stark lines to depict an overdressed military figure. The composition is dominated by the officer's towering presence, rendered with an almost comical emphasis on his elaborate costume. The artist employs hatching and cross-hatching to create volume and texture, particularly noticeable in the plume and ruffled collar. This technique also accentuates the character's exaggerated features, lending him an air of theatricality rather than authority. The background battle scene is miniaturized, almost as if to mock the grandeur of military exploits. The print destabilizes traditional heroic imagery by reducing the officer to a figure of spectacle. It engages with semiotic systems of status and power, questioning the values associated with nobility through satire. The focus on surface detail, rather than substantial form, serves to undermine the presumed virtues of its subject, reflecting a broader cultural skepticism towards the aristocracy.