Man met haakbus op wacht, gekleed volgens de mode van ca. 1630 1639

This print by Abraham Bosse, made around 1630 in the Netherlands, depicts a guard with a musket, dressed in the fashion of the time, and it offers us a glimpse into the social and military culture of the Dutch Golden Age. Bosse, as an artist, was deeply engaged with the representation of social classes and their behaviors. Here, the guard's elegant attire contrasts with his duty, suggesting a society where even military roles were subject to the codes of fashion and status. The inclusion of architectural details and garden elements further situates this figure within a specific cultural landscape. Is he guarding a stately home? Is he protecting the wealth of the nation? To understand this print fully, we might turn to period military manuals, fashion plates, and social histories. These sources help us to understand the complex interplay of status, duty, and visual representation that Bosse captured in his work. Art, after all, is always contingent on its social and institutional context.