Portret van keizer Karel de Grote 1557 - 1559

This engraving of Emperor Charlemagne was made by Joos Gietleughen, probably sometime in the 16th or 17th century. It depicts the emperor in profile, holding a sword, with an inscription around the image. The print comes from a book, and it reflects the way that printed images gained importance in communicating ideas. Note the way the image is framed by text. The visual and the textual worked together to convey the narrative of Charlemagne, who was an important figure in European history and was often used as a symbol of power and authority by later rulers. The image, with its classical style and Latin inscription, evokes the grandeur of the Roman Empire and associates Charlemagne with that tradition. Historians analyze the imagery and symbolism in artwork like this to understand how historical figures were perceived and how their legacies were used to shape political and cultural identities. By studying such images, alongside textual sources, we can gain a richer understanding of the social and institutional contexts in which they were made and consumed.