Model voor het monument ter herinnering aan de slag bij Heiligerlee, 1868

About this artwork

collector's mark: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

This petite albumen print captures aquette, or scale model, designed by Dutch sculptor Johannes Hinderikusgenberger for a monument commemorating the Battle of Heillee. Fought on May 23, 1568, this pivotal clash marked the opening salvo of the Eighty Years' War, the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule. As the Netherlands celebrated the battle's 300th anniversary 1868, Egenberger's proposal envisioned a grand public tribute to the rebel victory led by Adolf van Nassau, symbolizing emerging Dutch national pride and independence. Measuring just 88 x 55 mm—typical of the era's carte-de-visite format—the print showcases the crisp detail and warm tones of the albumen process, a pioneering 19th-century photographic technique using egg whites to bind light-sensitive silver salts onto paper. This allowed precise documentation of sculptural models, bridging fine art and emerging photography. Egenberger, known for his neoclassical monuments, likely crafted the model in clay or plaster to pitch for commission, highlighting the collaborative role of such proposals in 19th-century public art. Bearing the collector's mark of Lugt 2228 (from renowned connoisseur Frits Lugt), this print offers a rare glimpse into the design process behind patriotic memorials, underscoring how photography preserved artistic ideas for posterity and study.

About the Artist

Johannes Hinderikus Egenberger · 1822–1897

Comment on works: master draftsman