XLVII Pracht, voor 't gheslacht 1614

Roemer Visscher created this engraving, XLVII Pracht, voor 't gheslacht, as part of a larger collection of emblems that offer moral and social commentary. Visscher lived during the Dutch Golden Age, a period of immense economic growth and cultural flourishing in the Netherlands, but also stark social inequalities. Here, Visscher critiques the vanity and hypocrisy of the ruling classes. The image depicts an ornate tomb, a symbol of wealth and power. Juxtaposed with the poem, Visscher suggests that the elite build lavish monuments to themselves, while the virtues they claim to represent are undermined by their actions. Visscher writes in the accompanying text that the tombs are made ‘to diminish the commonness of the tombs of the underlings’. This work challenges the traditional representations of power and status, offering a critical perspective on the social and moral values of his time. It asks us to consider how we memorialize ourselves and what values we truly uphold.