Allegory on the French Invasion of 1672 1672

Johannes van Wijckersloot painted this panel, Allegory on the French Invasion of 1672, to comment on a fraught moment in Dutch history. It’s an intriguing visual statement about national identity and political anxiety. The painting presents two figures examining a drawing. It seems to depict a turtle pierced by arrows with a fleur-de-lis above, which symbolizes France. This is an allegory for the Franco-Dutch War, a conflict driven by Louis XIV’s territorial ambitions. The Dutch Republic, a mercantile power, was surrounded by larger, more militarized states, and the invasion was a real threat to its existence. Made in the aftermath of this crisis, this painting might be seen as a form of political propaganda, aimed at fostering a sense of national unity and resistance against foreign aggression. We can use pamphlets and other printed media from the period to get a sense of how the Dutch understood their place in the European order. We can better understand art when we understand the context that shaped it.