Koning op zoek naar een echtgenote 1574

This engraving called "King in search of a wife" was made around 1600 by Wierix in the Netherlands. At this time, the Dutch Republic was establishing itself and asserting its political and cultural power. The image creates meaning through visual codes relating to the politics of marriage. The King figure gestures, seemingly to offer his kingdom as dowry, while his three advisors direct him toward a wife. In the background, we see other women bathing and waiting to be chosen. Is Wierix commenting on the state of marriage as a political institution? Is he suggesting that the marriage is a business-like transaction? To understand this image better, we can look at the political and economic history of the Dutch Republic, and also we can research the visual language of courtship, marriage, and dynastic succession. In this way, we can understand how art is contingent on social and institutional context.