Nederlandse lansier 1577

Abraham de Bruyn made this engraving of a Dutch Lancer sometime in the late 16th century. Look closely, and you'll see that it's made up of many tiny lines incised into a copper plate, which was then inked and printed. The linear quality lends itself well to the subject matter: the crisp metal of the lancer’s armor, which is given further definition by the addition of hatching to create areas of shading. It must have taken an expert artisan many hours to etch the plate, line by line, giving form to the human figure in all its social finery. Consider the image in relation to the long history of metalworking in Europe. The armor and weapons depicted here were the products of highly skilled labor, made in workshops organized according to strict guild structures. In this print, De Bruyn memorializes the labor and tradition embedded in each piece of the lancer’s gear, transforming utilitarian objects into symbols of status and power. In doing so, De Bruyn invites us to recognize the value of traditional crafts in understanding the cultural and political landscape of his time.