Design for Title Page: Allegory of the Submission of the City of Utrecht to Emperor Charles V n.d.

This undated drawing by Jan Wandelaar is a design for a title page, allegorizing the Dutch city of Utrecht submitting to Emperor Charles V. The image employs a range of visual codes and cultural references that would have been well understood in the Netherlands in the mid-18th century. Utrecht is personified as a kneeling woman surrendering to Charles V, while classical figures look on. Such allegorical imagery was a common visual language for communicating political ideas during this period. This drawing was likely commissioned by the city of Utrecht itself, aiming to legitimize Charles V’s rule by portraying it as a consensual submission rather than a conquest. By studying city records, emblem books, and political treatises from the period, we can better understand how this image functions within the specific social and institutional context of 18th-century Netherlands.