Tyranny of Alva, ca. 1569

Allegory on the tyranny of the Duke of Alva in the Netherlands, c. 1569. On the left, Alva on his throne in a palace, assisted by Granvelle (with bellows) and members of the Blood Council, crowned by the devil. Before him kneel in chains the 17 personifications of the provinces of the Netherlands; on the right, the silenced members of the States General. A window in the center offers a view of Margaret of Parma fishing for riches in a blood pond, behind which the beheading of Egmond and Horne in Brussels in 1568 is depicted. On the left and right, scenes of tortures and executions. In the inscription, a verse of 4 columns of 4 lines each, and the legend A-O in Dutch. Incomplete copy without the title and parts of the inscription.