Mislukte tocht van Lodewijk XIV en de hertog van Anjou, 1706 1706

Curator: At first glance, it looks like a dense collection of scenes almost tumbling over each other within this print. Editor: Indeed. Let’s explore “Mislukte tocht van Lodewijk XIV en de hertog van Anjou, 1706.” It’s an engraving dating back to 1706 and currently held in the Rijksmuseum. The anonymous artist provides a narrative commentary on the failed campaign of Louis XIV and the Duke of Anjou. Curator: The layout itself is intriguing. It almost resembles a storyboard with various vignettes depicting different stages or aspects of the journey. The dense blocks of text further complicate—or perhaps enrich—our understanding. The overall tone feels satirical, a pointed critique perhaps? Editor: Certainly satirical, and steeped in the political climate of the time. We see representations of power, like the figures in royal garb in different settings, from what appears to be a dining setting to elaborate processions. The engraving employs allegory to convey the futility of the campaign amidst larger shifts in European power dynamics. Curator: The formal aspects are fascinating. Note the use of hatching and cross-hatching. The artist employs such linear precision, characteristic of the Baroque era, to delineate the figures and suggest volume, but does so with the added weight of symbolic storytelling. Each mini composition demands a closer inspection of individual details, of what each one is doing. Editor: Precisely. And considering its function as a print, it was likely distributed to a wider audience, offering a perspective—probably critical—on the ruling elite’s decisions. Remember that images like these played an active role in shaping public opinion. Curator: Considering that, its relatively small scale contrasts with the enormity of the political themes that it tries to address. This is such an active, visually complex way to engage with history and public memory. Editor: A small package of visual-political commentary! One almost wishes to have it at our fingertips to better see the symbolic charge hidden within the textures of the presented imagery.