Portret van Johann Matthias Gesner 1747

Johann Martin Bernigeroth created this engraving of Johann Matthias Gesner sometime in the 18th century. During this period, portraiture was the domain of the elite, a marker of status, intellect, and power, and this work performs the conventions of such portraiture. Yet, let’s consider what this image tells us beyond the status of its sitter. Gesner’s gaze holds a certain intensity, and the details of his clothing suggest a man of considerable learning and position, reflecting the values of the Enlightenment era, which prized reason and knowledge. Bernigeroth, as the engraver, was tasked with translating these values into a visual language accessible to the literate public. What does it mean to capture a likeness, to preserve it, and to circulate it? How do such images shape our understanding of history, and whose stories get told? This print invites us to consider the power dynamics inherent in portraiture, prompting us to reflect on whose images are preserved and why.