Sebastiaan Cornelis Nederburgh (1762-1811). Commissaris-generaal (1791-99) 1862

Cornelis de Cocq painted this portrait of Sebastiaan Cornelis Nederburgh, a commissioner-general of the Dutch East Indies, in the 19th century. The figure's powdered wig is a potent symbol. In this context, it speaks of status and belonging to a distinguished class, but its roots extend further back. Consider the elaborate hairstyles of the French court, symbols of power and sophistication, yet also a mask, concealing individuality beneath artifice. This act of concealment resonates with the psychological weight of societal expectations, the pressure to conform. We see echoes of such transformations across centuries; the wig, shedding its immediate ties to aristocracy, reappears as a symbol in legal and judicial settings, signifying authority and tradition. This constant reshaping of symbols reveals how culture perpetually reinvents itself, weaving a complex tapestry where past and present are forever intertwined.