Portret van Lambert II 1600 - 1676

Frederik Bouttats made this engraving of Lambert II, Count of Leuven, sometime in the 17th century. The portrait revives the image of a medieval ruler for a later era. Here, Lambert is framed within an archway and rendered with cross-hatched lines to give the illusion of three dimensions. Note the Latin inscription above his coat-of-arms: "Dextra Mihi Deus," or "God is my right hand." It's worth remembering that the 17th century in the Netherlands was an era of state-sponsored religious conflict. Lambert, who lived six centuries earlier, is here presented as a godly military leader. We can be sure that Bouttats created this image to promote a particular political viewpoint. As art historians, it is our job to reconstruct the context in which images like this were created. What were the political or religious views of the engraver? Who paid for its production? What kind of audience did they have in mind? Answers to these questions lie in archives and libraries; they help us to understand the public role of art.