In 't Jaar 743 c. 1789 - 1810

This small drawing, simply titled 'In 't Jaar 743', is held at the Rijksmuseum and was made by an anonymous artist. The image presents a scene laden with implications of power and submission. We see a figure kneeling, presumably surrendering, before a kingly figure, his hand placed on the kneeling man’s head, a gesture of dominance or perhaps mercy. The king is surrounded by soldiers, their spears and shields forming a visual bulwark. Historically, 743 A.D. would have been a period of shifting power dynamics in Europe, marked by conflicts and the consolidation of kingdoms. There’s a complex interplay of gender, class, and authority being represented here. The emotional weight of defeat and the assertion of power are palpable. The drawing doesn’t necessarily challenge the traditional representations of power, but it does distill it to its most human elements: vulnerability, dominance, and the ever-present specter of violence.