Portret van Frederik I, koning van Pruisen, als keurvorst van Brandenburg 1696

This is Samuel Blesendorf's portrait of Frederick I of Prussia, made with etching and engraving techniques. Note the intricate symbols of power and authority. Below the portrait we see a crown and coat of arms, emblems of sovereignty and lineage, deeply rooted in ancestral claims. Encircling Frederick is a wreath, commonly used to signify victory, as well as trumpets, instruments used to communicate the arrival of monarchs and other leaders. The motif of the wreath, prevalent since ancient Greece and Rome, signifies honor and triumph. We observe this same impulse in Botticelli’s Venus, born of the sea foam and heralded by the Horae, one of whom prepares to crown her with a garland of flowers. These symbols, ever resilient, traverse historical epochs, echoing through time. They evoke in the viewer an emotional response to the profound human desire for recognition and the eternal quest for glory. Indeed, observe how symbols persist in our collective consciousness, forever transformed, continuously reborn.