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Original fileEnsign: Officers and Soldiers of Emperor Rudolf II's Bodyguard
Vaandrig Officieren en soldaten uit de lijfwacht van keizer Rudolf II (serietitel), NG-2011-74-1
after Hendrick Goltzius
About This Work
A standard-bearer in elaborate military attire, including a feathered cap and a wide lace ruff, stands in a dynamic, swaggering pose. The background depicts a company of soldiers marching through a hilly landscape. This fragment of a larger print preserves the central figure and the Latin inscription at the base.
This engraving belongs to a series depicting the bodyguard of Emperor Rudolf II, whose court in Prague was a major center for Renaissance hermeticism, alchemy, and natural philosophy. The work showcases the technical virtuosity of Hendrick Goltzius and the Haarlem Mannerist style, which was highly favored within the Emperor's intellectual circle.