The Sorrowful Farewell of Don de Calabassa from Flanders, Returning to Spain

This Dutch broadside text-sheet accompanied a satirical print mocking Don de Calabassa's departure from Flanders during the Eighty Years' War. The dense letterpress, printed in multiple columns, combines verse narratives with comic commentary in the tradition of popular Dutch political satire. Such text-illustrated broadsides circulated widely among literate urban audiences, delivering topical humor about military campaigns and foreign figures. The format—combining woodcut or engraved imagery with printed text—established conventions later inherited by comic strips: sequential narrative, visual caricature, and accessible social commentary aimed at ordinary people. This particular work reflects the Netherlands' long tradition of graphic satire used to mock enemies and rivals during prolonged conflict.