Staande officier en profil 1630 - 1665

Salomon Savery created this print, "Standing Officer in Profile," sometime in the 17th century. It's striking how Savery manipulates scale and proportion to create a caricature of military authority. The officer's oversized head and torso, combined with the meticulously detailed yet diminutive legs, disrupt conventional notions of the heroic figure. The cape, with its elaborate folds and contrasting textures, dominates the composition. Savery’s use of line—notice the fine, parallel hatching—emphasizes the officer's attire, drawing our eye to the symbols of status and power. The landscape, sketched with quick, light strokes, acts as a backdrop, underscoring the officer’s imposing figure. This distortion of scale isn’t just playful; it destabilizes the expected relationship between the individual and their surroundings. Savery's print invites us to question the very structures of representation and the codes through which authority is visually constructed.