Portret van Heinrich Günther von Thulemeyer 1665 - 1719

Johann Ulrich Kraus made this print of Heinrich Günther von Thulemeyer sometime between the late 17th and early 18th century. It gives us an insight into the status and self-image of academics in Germany at that time. Thulemeyer is framed by an oval laurel wreath, a classical symbol of victory and intellectual achievement, as well as an inscription celebrating his academic titles and position at Heidelberg University. The elaborate wig and lace cravat signify wealth and social standing. Kraus uses a detailed engraving technique to render these textures. But what does it mean to be portrayed as a scholar? Heidelberg was then a prominent center of learning, reformed after its devastation in the Thirty Years' War. The portrait suggests the university aimed to cultivate an image of its faculty as learned and respectable figures. To understand the full context, we need to delve into the institutional histories of German universities, the dress codes of the professoriate, and the visual language of academic portraiture. Art like this reflects the social conditions of its time.