D’Arminiaensche uyt-vaert (The Arminian Funeral) - Claes Jansz. Visscher (II)

A 1619 satirical etching by Claes Jansz. Visscher (II) documenting the expulsion of the Arminians from the Dutch Republic.

This etching by Claes Jansz. Visscher (II) functions as a piece of political satire from the Dutch Golden Age. It depicts the expulsion of the Remonstrants, also known as Arminians, following the Synod of Dort in 1619. The composition is divided into two distinct sections. The upper portion shows a procession of wagons carrying the exiled theologians away from the city, while the lower portion contains a dialogue between two characters, Joost and Kees, written in Dutch. This text provides a satirical commentary on the events, mocking the religious figures involved in the dispute.

Visscher, a prolific publisher and printmaker based in Amsterdam, used this medium to disseminate political opinion to a wider audience. The print is highly descriptive, documenting the specific figures involved in the exile through a numbered list on the right side. The visual style is characteristic of early 17th-century Dutch printmaking, employing clear, precise lines to define the figures and the rural setting. The wagons are arranged in a horizontal line, creating a sense of movement across the page. The inclusion of text within the image itself is a common feature of broadsheets from this period, where the visual narrative and the written word work in tandem to convey a specific message or critique.

As a historical document, the print captures the tension between the Remonstrants and the Counter-Remonstrants, a conflict that shaped the religious and political climate of the Dutch Republic. The work is not merely an illustration of a funeral procession, but a calculated piece of propaganda that reflects the partisan nature of the era. The detailed rendering of the wagons and the figures provides insight into the dress and transport of the time, while the dialogue offers a glimpse into the vernacular language and the nature of public discourse during the early 17th century.