Plate 15: Valets marching in the funeral procession of Archduke Albert of Austria; from 'Pompa Funebris ... Alberti Pii'

Art Historical Context

In the grand tradition of Baroque spectacle, *Plate 15: Valets marching in the funeral procession of Archduke Albert of Austria* captures a poignant moment from one of Europe's most elaborate 17th-century obsequies. Part of Jacques Francquart's monumental series *Pompa Funebris ... Alberti Pii (1623), this etching depicts liveried valets striding solemnly in the 1622 procession honoring Archduke Albert VII (1559–1621), the Habsburg ruler and co-sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands. Albert's death marked the end of an era for Catholic Flanders amid the Eighty Years' War, and the funeral—staged across Brussels with triumphal arches, pyres, and thousands of participants—served as both mourning ritual and political propaganda, affirming Habsburg piety and power. Francquart, a Flemish architect and engraver, designed the series, while master engraver Cornelis Galle I executed the intricate plates. This etching, enhanced with delicate hand coloring, exemplifies early 17th-century printmaking's rise as a democratic medium, allowing widespread dissemination of elite events. The vivid details—uniforms, postures, and procession order—convey hierarchy and decorum, blending documentary precision with artistic flair typical of Antwerp's Rubens-influenced school. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Prints Department (Elisha Whittelsey Collection, 1960), this 11-by-15-inch sheet invites visitors to witness history's pomp, revealing how prints preserved fleeting ceremonies for posterity.

About the Artist

Jacques Francquart|Cornelis Galle I (French|French) · 1577 |1577 –1651 |1651

French, Brussels 1577–1651 Brussels|French, Brussels 1577–1651 Brussels