De slapende boer van Stolwijk (The Sleeping Farmer of Stolwijk)

This copper engraving depicts a rural Dutch farmer asleep in his bed while a crowd of figures—soldiers, townspeople, and officials—surround him with drawn weapons and gesturing hands. Labels scattered above identify various figures and locations. The print belongs to the Northern European tradition of broadsheet satire, where political and social commentary combined dense narrative text with sharp visual caricature. The sleeping protagonist likely represents a specific historical or political figure or event from early 18th-century Dutch politics. The engraving's layered composition—busy figure work, architectural setting, and extensive explanatory text—typifies the Bilderbogen format that would influence later comic traditions through its fusion of image and word.