Illustratie voor 'Den Arbeid van Mars' van Allain Manesson Mallet 1672

This engraving by Romeyn de Hooghe was made to illustrate 'The Work of Mars' in the late 17th century. The image visualizes complex ideas about warfare and fortification in the Dutch Golden Age. Above, we see a geometric plan for constructing a star fort, a modern defense system that dominated European battlefields. Below, soldiers clash in close combat, horses rearing as men fall. This juxtaposition speaks to a culture grappling with the changing nature of war and the mathematics used to construct it. De Hooghe’s work reflects a society deeply invested in military innovation, which would prove essential to Dutch ascendancy. To fully understand an artwork like this, it is vital to look into the books and other printed matter that it accompanied and consider the institutional contexts that it emerged from. By exploring these resources, we can better understand the power of images to shape perceptions of war, state, and society.