Portret van Friedrich Hortleder 1645

This is Peter Troschel's engraving of Friedrich Hortleder, a portrait teeming with emblems of status and virtue. The words ‘Labor’ and ‘Diligentia’ flank allegorical figures of hard work and carefulness, acting as moral scaffolding. Notice how the allegorical figures that adorn the lower portion of the frame echo gestures found in classical sculpture, yet are softened, imbued with a sentimentality typical of this period. Consider the torch, a symbol of enlightenment, here it signifies not only knowledge but also the perpetuation of memory, illuminating Hortleder's legacy. In ancient Greece and Rome, the torch was used in funerary processions, and its appearance here suggests a connection between Hortleder's wisdom and the preservation of his memory. This echoes through time, finding resonance in later works, such as Delacroix’s ‘Liberty Leading the People,’ where the torch becomes a symbol of revolution and the enlightened path forward. In this portrait, the torch embodies a quiet, studious virtue, linking personal achievement with enduring remembrance.