A soldier holding his caliver, from the Marksmen series, plate 1, in Waffenhandlung von den Rören Musquetten undt Spiessen / Wapenhandelinghe van Roers Musquetten Ende Spiessen (The Exercise of Arms)

Art Historical Context

Step into the disciplined world of early modern warfare with *A soldier holding his caliver, from the Marksmen series, plate 1*, an engraving by Jacques de Gheyn II, with Robert Willemsz de Baudous as engraver. Published in 1608 as part of the influential manual *Waffenhandlung von den Rören Musquetten undt Spiessen* (The Exercise of Arms), this third-state impression captures a lone soldier gripping his caliver—a light arquebus, predecessor to the musket—in a poised stance. Measuring just 10 3/16 × 7 1/4 inches, its compact sheet belies the precision packed into every line. Created amid the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule, de Gheyn's series revolutionized military instruction by illustrating 117 sequential poses for handling firearms and pikes. This plate, the first in the Marksmen section, exemplifies the pike-and-shot tactics that helped the Netherlands secure independence during the Eighty Years' War. Distributed across Europe, the book standardized drilling techniques, influencing armies from the Dutch to the English Civil War fighters. De Gheyn, a master of the Dutch Golden Age, employed fine engraving techniques for anatomical accuracy and dynamic tension, making complex maneuvers accessible. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Elisha Whittelsey Collection, 1949), it invites us to admire not just the soldier's resolve, but the artistry bridging art and arsenal in a pivotal era.