Silhouetportret van Frederik, prins van Oranje-Nassau 1790 - 1849

This silhouette portrait of Frederik, Prince of Orange-Nassau, is an anonymous work of art, rendered in an intriguing combination of solid black and delicate grey washes on paper. The composition is dominated by the stark contrast between the subject's profile and the pale background, a design that evokes a sense of formality. The rigid outline of the figure, with its elaborate headdress and ornate decorations, creates a visual tension with the flat, shadow-like quality of the silhouette. There is a semiotic interplay at work here, where the absence of detail invites the viewer to fill in the blanks. This challenges traditional notions of portraiture, prompting a reconsideration of what constitutes representation and identity, emphasizing the structures that uphold our understanding of form and likeness.