Lijkstatie van Willem IV, 1752, plaat 31 1754

This drawing from 1752 by Jan Punt, now at the Rijksmuseum, presents a muted yet meticulously rendered scene of Willem IV's funeral procession, captured in pen and watercolor. The figures appear to be suspended across the horizontal expanse of the paper, accentuated by a predominantly grey palette, punctuated only by the ochre robes of the herald. The strategic arrangement of the figures into discrete clusters emphasizes the structured hierarchy inherent in the ceremonial event. The use of line and shadow defines each person, while their placement in the composition underscores their role. We are invited to consider how the artist used each figure as a signifier within a larger system of representation of power and mourning. This work's aesthetic sobriety challenges grand notions of power and representation. Instead, we see a distillation of form that engages with contemporary ideas about space, order, and the semiotics of public spectacle.