Vertoning van de Gewenste Vrijheid, 1648 1649

Salomon Savery created this print, *Vertoning van de Gewenste Vrijheid*, in 1648 using etching. The eye is immediately drawn to the figure of Freedom, enthroned in the center, holding a staff topped with a liberty cap. An angel above heralds her arrival with a trumpet. The composition uses a theatrical framing of dark curtains to either side to situate the viewer as a spectator. This arrangement isn't just aesthetic; it's a deliberate staging of power. Freedom's placement above the crowd suggests a hierarchical structure, a visual language common in political allegory. Savery employs a system of signs: the liberty cap, the trumpet, the act of kneeling, all culturally encoded symbols. Each element functions within the semiotic structure of the print to communicate the complex idea of freedom during the historical context of 1648. It invites us to consider how symbols shape our understanding of abstract concepts.