Houdt op in mijn tuin te wroeten Spaanse varkens! 1578 - 1582

This print, whose artist is unknown, presents us with an allegorical scene of conflict rendered in stark monochrome lines. The composition is dominated by a fortified mound, its walls lined with flags and topped by a heraldic lion, alluding to the defense of a city. The eye is drawn to the frenzied activity of boars ravaging the landscape, their forms rendered with energetic strokes that convey a sense of chaotic motion. These boars, symbols of the Spanish, are shown encroaching upon Dutch territory. This contrast sets up a semiotic play, where the formal clarity of the fortification clashes with the disordered advance of the animals. The print employs a spatial organization that directs our interpretation. The city in the background, a site of order, contrasts sharply with the foreground’s tumult. This artwork is not just a depiction of a battle, but a structured argument about defense and encroachment, articulated through the formal language of engraving.