Militaire parade 1662

Israel Silvestre made this print of a military parade sometime in the mid-17th century. It’s a carefully incised image, created through the labor-intensive technique of etching. Look closely and you’ll see how each line, each tiny mark, had to be deliberately bitten into a metal plate with acid. The amount of work involved in producing an image like this is a testament to the value placed on representations of power and order. The precise lines, the ordered ranks of soldiers, the imposing architecture in the background, all speak to the period's ambition of control. Silvestre's technique, though laborious, allowed for a level of detail and finesse that would have been impossible to achieve through other means. The print is a product of its time, reflecting the social and political structures of the era. The finished print, multiplied and distributed, was a potent instrument of propaganda. Ultimately, this isn’t just a picture. It’s a carefully constructed statement about authority, made visible through skilled labor.