Portret van Cornelis van de Voorde 1635 - 1702

Pieter Philippe made this print of Cornelis van de Voorde in the Netherlands in the late 17th or early 18th century. It reflects the cultural values of the Dutch Golden Age. Prints like this one circulated widely and played a crucial role in shaping public opinion. The trappings of learning and contemplation signal the sitter’s high status. Books and a skull, a memento mori, were common props in the portraits of scholars. The artist’s inscription emphasizes the sitter’s sharp intellect and his contribution to art. In studying this image, art historians look for documentary evidence about the sitter and the artist. They consider the social and economic conditions that allowed someone like Van de Voorde to commission a print of himself. They study the publishing industry that made prints so popular, and the institutional structures that led to its preservation in a museum like the Rijksmuseum.