Portret van Hibbaeus Magnus 1638

This is a portrait of Hibbaeus Magnus by Crispijn van den Queborn, an engraving from 1638. Note the laurel wreath encircling Magnus's likeness. In antiquity, this symbol crowned victors and emperors, signifying honor and triumph. But here, the wreath takes on a new meaning, adorning a preacher. We can compare it to classical busts of emperors, or even the halos in religious iconography. The halo, too, originally symbolized power and divinity, a visual language adopted from imperial portraits to signify the sacred. Such transformations reflect the continuous dialogue between the classical past and the present. Like the philosopher Nietzsche, we see the echo of ancient voices reverberating through the ages, each repetition colored by new contexts. This layering of meaning, this palimpsest of symbols, reveals how images carry the weight of cultural memory, shaping our understanding across generations.