Portret van Roger Gale Possibly 1798

Ignatius Joseph van den Berghe created this engraving of Roger Gale sometime before 1824. It’s a portrait of a man who lived a century earlier, and this distance is essential to understanding it. Gale was a well-known antiquarian, and the engraving was reproduced in books and other prints. It's part of a larger visual culture of knowledge production and dissemination. By the late 18th century, antiquarianism was becoming institutionalized in universities and museums. Knowledge was increasingly regulated and systematized by experts. Gale is presented here as a figure of authority. His prominent wig, for example, speaks of his social status and intellectual role. This image thus encapsulates a particular moment in the history of knowledge. To understand it further, we might turn to the historical study of antiquarianism, the history of the book, or even the history of the wig. Art history is always contingent on understanding the social conditions in which art is made.