Nachtwakers fouilleren een man 1613 - 1667

This engraving by an anonymous artist depicts night watchmen frisking a man. It captures a moment of social control, likely from the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by the rise of the merchant class and civic responsibility. Here, the artist highlights the power dynamics within the urban landscape. The night watch, a kind of early police force, was often drawn from the citizenry, blurring the lines between public and private roles. The act of searching suggests underlying tensions: who is considered a threat, and who gets to decide? The location is also pertinent. The presence of substantial architecture in the background alludes to an urban landscape with growing economic power and increasing populations. Understanding this work fully requires exploring the archives of the period, looking into civic records and crime reports to understand the real lives that underpin this artistic representation. Only then can we understand the artwork as a reflection of its time.