Double heads of protagonists in the Year of Disasters
In 1672, known as the ‘Year of Disasters’, the Dutch Republic came under simultaneous attack by France, England and Germany. The double heads depict the protagonists, whose true nature is revealed when they are turned upside down. From left to right, they are: Stadtholder William III as Mars, Louis XIV as a lion, the English King Charles II as a tiger, Archbishop Henry of Bavaria as an ass and the Bishop of Munster as a swine. Johan and Cornelis de Witt are a fox and a wolf. Many believed they were to blame for the war.