Jacob Gole made this engraving, a portrait of Daniël Marot, sometime between 1660 and 1737. Marot was an architect and furniture designer. He’s shown here framed by a swag of fabric and an ornate oval surround, every bit the sophisticated man of the world. Born in France, Marot fled to the Netherlands in 1685 because he was a protestant and Louis XIV was persecuting protestants. Subsequently, Marot became a leading designer for William of Orange, who became King William III of England. In this context, the portrait takes on a decidedly political meaning. It speaks to the protestant diaspora and the cultural networks that spread across Europe at this time. This image would have helped to cement Marot’s reputation within this network. To understand the image better, one could research the history of protestantism in Europe and the history of political imagery in the Dutch Republic. The meaning of art is always contingent on historical context.