Vignet met een ridder die een eed aflegt op de bijbel vastgehouden door Henry de Bourbon 1760

This is Laurent Cars's "Vignet met een ridder die een eed aflegt op de bijbel vastgehouden door Henry de Bourbon," made some time between 1699 and 1771. The print shows a formal scene, encased in a decorative frame, dominated by figures in period attire, with the central focus on a knight kneeling to take an oath upon a bible. Cars uses line and composition to direct our gaze, structuring a hierarchy of attention, with the oath-taking knight at the base and Henry de Bourbon holding the Bible at the visual apex. Note how the artist uses the semiotic language of gestures. The kneeling knight performs a ritual of submission and loyalty to Henry de Bourbon which is emphasized by the bible he holds, a symbol of divine authority. The architectural backdrop is a stage-like setting, which enhances the performative dimension. The frame, while ornamental, serves as a boundary, marking the transition between the world of the viewer and the allegorical space depicted. The artwork functions as a site of cultural inscription, reflecting and reinforcing ideas about power, duty, and the relationship between the secular and the divine. It reminds us that art is not a neutral mirror but an active agent in shaping historical narratives.