Hoffunctionarissen van Karel V, plaat 13 Possibly 1530 - 1620

This is plate 13 from *Hoffunctionarissen van Karel V* by Nicolaas Hogenberg. Look at the concentration of figures, horses, and spears massed towards the lower half of the work. The artist used the technique of engraving, employing lines and hatching to create tonal variations that define the forms and textures within the composition. The low positioning of the subjects creates a strong sense of dynamism. The composition can be interpreted through the lens of semiotics. Each figure and object serves as a signifier, contributing to the overall narrative of power and authority. The arrangement and depiction of the figures, with those in the foreground more prominently detailed, suggest a hierarchy that speaks to the social structures of the time. Hogenberg, through the precise use of line and form, crafts a tableau that invites the viewer to decode its layered meanings, seeing beyond the surface representation to the underlying cultural and political contexts.