Gezicht op het grafmonument voor Hugo de Groot in de Nieuwe Kerk te Delft c. 1808

Ludwig Gottlieb Portman made this print of the monument to Hugo de Groot in the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft. It was produced at a time when the Netherlands, like much of Europe, was re-evaluating its history and cultural heroes. The image offers us a clear, almost architectural rendering of the tomb, framed by classical columns and topped with a symbolic skull. Completed in the 1730s, the monument itself embodies the Enlightenment values of reason and order. Yet, by Portman's time, these values were being challenged by new ideas about national identity and romanticism. The artist’s choice to depict the monument in such a straightforward manner can be seen as a conservative statement. It reaffirms the importance of historical figures like Hugo de Groot to the formation of Dutch identity. To fully understand this print, we might delve into the archives of the Nieuwe Kerk and examine contemporary writings about Dutch national identity, remembering that art is always part of a wider conversation.