Belegering van Zaltbommel en andere sterkten in de Bommelerwaard en de bouw van Sint-Andries, 1599 1600 - 1610

Bartholomeus Willemsz. Dolendo made this print in 1599. It is a bird’s eye view of the siege of Zaltbommel, rendered with astonishing detail. Dolendo worked in the established technique of engraving, cutting lines into a copper plate, which would then be inked and printed. It was a reproductive medium, used to disseminate information. Here, that information takes the form of a detailed military survey. The texture is amazing – the ‘lines’ of troops so small they appear as if they have been stitched into place. The history of capitalism is written into this print. It’s an early example of information made readily available by the printing press. It also documents the labor involved in military engineering, and the laying siege to a city. All of the ‘lines’ we see here – in the armies, fortifications, and neatly cultivated landscape – speak to the historical moment when labor was becoming a primary means to control both land and people. This print exemplifies the way in which both traditional and industrial materials, are tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption.