Titelprent met het wapen van Karel van Hessen-Kassel geflankeerd door Minerva en Hercules 1706

This title page with the coat of arms of Charles of Hesse-Kassel, flanked by Minerva and Hercules, was likely printed in 1706 in Kassel. It introduces a book celebrating Charles's improvements to the Wilhelmshöhe Park. The image conveys meaning through symbolic visual codes. Minerva, goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, and Hercules, of strength and heroism, flank the Hesse-Kassel coat of arms. This iconography presents Charles as a wise and strong ruler. The book itself, commissioned by Charles, operates within the established institution of courtly patronage, designed to burnish his image. Consider how geographical and economic factors might have influenced the park's design and this book. Research into the history of Kassel and the House of Hesse-Kassel would further illuminate the social and political context of this artwork. This helps us understand the public role of art and imagery in reinforcing power structures of the time.