Het Kleed van Dwingelandij ca. 1701-1713 1701 - 1713

This print, made around 1701-1713 by an anonymous artist, presents us with a sartorial puzzle: Louis XIV adorned in a garment of tyranny. But look closer, and you'll see his suit isn't cloth, but a collection of besieged cities. This iconography connects to a long tradition where clothing symbolizes power and identity. Consider, for example, ancient rulers depicted wearing conquered lands as trophies. Here, the cities become symbolic extensions of Louis's power, a manifestation of territorial greed. It's reminiscent of a monstrous deity whose strength is drawn from the lives of others. This image evokes deep anxieties about unchecked power, the eternal struggle between freedom and domination. Such symbolism is not confined to the 18th century, but constantly reappears in art, reflecting humanity's collective, cyclical wrestling with the specter of tyranny.