Als soldaat verklede adelaar zit op een tank - Henk Henriët

A political satire drawing by Henk Henriët, depicting an eagle in military attire atop a tank, created during the Second World War.

This graphite drawing by the Dutch artist Henk Henriët functions as a piece of political satire, likely produced during the Second World War. The composition features a large, anthropomorphic eagle wearing a military helmet, seated atop a tank. The eagle serves as a clear allegorical figure for the German military machine of the period. Henriët includes several smaller figures within the scene, including a caricature of a leader performing a salute, which adds to the critical nature of the work.

The drawing style is characteristic of preparatory sketches or political cartoons from the mid-twentieth century. Henriët employs thin, precise graphite lines to construct the figures and the mechanical elements of the tank. The perspective is intentionally flattened, allowing the viewer to focus on the symbolic relationship between the eagle, the tank, and the smaller human figures. The presence of a small, imp-like creature perched on the eagle's shoulder introduces a grotesque element, common in wartime propaganda art to mock the perceived absurdity and malice of the occupying forces.

As a historical document, the work captures the atmosphere of resistance and the use of visual media to critique political authority. The paper shows signs of age, with light foxing and handling marks, which provide a sense of the object's history. The framing of the composition, indicated by the drawn border lines, suggests this was intended for reproduction or as a finished study for a larger print. The work remains a direct, unvarnished example of how artists used their craft to process and comment on the events of the 1940s in the Netherlands.