Doge wordt gedragen over het San Marcoplein te Venetië 1610

This engraving, likely from the 17th or 18th century, depicts a Doge being carried across the Piazza San Marco in Venice. The scene is a flurry of lines etched into the plate, creating a dense, almost chaotic composition, yet with a clear perspectival structure. The buildings recede into the background, framing the bustling foreground filled with figures. The artist uses line to convey not just form, but also texture and movement. The etching technique allows for fine details in the clothing and architecture, but the overall effect is one of dynamic energy. We see a semiotic interplay between the rigidity of the architectural background and the fluidity of the human figures. The Doge, elevated, contrasts with the begging figure in the lower right. The image subtly destabilizes established meanings of power and hierarchy. While the Doge is physically elevated, the teeming crowd and the vulnerable beggar introduce an element of social tension, hinting at the fragility of power.