Portret van William Henry, hertog van Gloucester 1745

Jacob Houbraken made this portrait of William Henry, Duke of Gloucester, using engraving, a printmaking technique, sometime between 1698 and 1780. This image presents a formal portrait, but it also conveys complex social and political meanings. The Duke is adorned with symbols of wealth and power. The ermine robes suggest aristocracy, while the architectural frame lends the sitter a sense of permanence and authority. Note how the image also includes a roundel featuring Britannia with her shield. Made in the Netherlands during a period of significant political and economic change, the portrait underscores the importance of representing power and nobility through visual means. As historians, we can look at costume books and heraldry guides of the period to understand the significance of these symbols in more depth. Ultimately, the meaning of this portrait is not fixed; it shifts depending on the social and institutional context in which it is viewed.