The Exercise of Arms

A detailed copperplate engraving of a 17th-century soldier, identifying a specific posture from a military drill manual (likely Jacob de Gheyn's "The Exercise of Armes"). The soldier is a pikeman, standing and holding a long pike vertically. He is outfitted in period-appropriate military attire, including a morion helmet adorned with a large plume of feathers, a steel cuirass (breastplate), tassets to protect the upper thighs, and voluminous trunk hose over stockings. A sword is visible at his left hip. He grasps the pike with both hands: his right arm is extended upwards to hold the shaft, while his left hand holds it at waist level. The figure stands on a simple ground line within a rectangular border. The number "2" is printed in the lower right corner of the illustration.