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Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileSoldaat met zwaard en schild Officieren en soldaten uit de lijfwacht van keizer Rudolf II (serietitel), NG-2011-75-1
after Hendrick Goltzius
This engraving depicts an officer in elaborate, fashionable attire with a large plumed hat and a broadsword resting on his shoulder. In the background, a troop of soldiers marches through a hilly landscape toward a distant fortress. The figure's exaggerated, heroic posture is a hallmark of the Dutch Mannerist style prevalent at the end of the 16th century.
This work belongs to a series dedicated to the bodyguard of Emperor Rudolf II, whose court in Prague was the preeminent European center for Hermeticism, alchemy, and natural philosophy. The soldiers represent the temporal power and imperial prestige of a monarch who was the primary patron of figures like Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and Michael Maier.
5 HG. inv. CL. excud Dupla ego pro meritis mereor stipendia; nempe Insigni reliquis strenuitate prior
Translation
5 HG. inv. CL. excud For my merits I deserve double pay; truly I surpass the rest in distinguished vigor.
Rudolf II
The artwork depicts a member of the Emperor's personal guard, reflecting the military and courtly culture of the Rudolfine circle in Prague.
Object
Engraving
portrait
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC0
http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.628713
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
4834 × 6978 px
ef5cf833854baf92ecbeded60cd1e16c7bf42a03
December 18, 2019
March 23, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.