Portret van Laurentius Homma after 1681

This is Christiaan Hagen’s "Portret van Laurentius Homma," an engraving on paper, now at the Rijksmuseum. The oval composition, defined by precise lines, frames Homma, creating a sense of enclosure and focus. The texture, achieved through meticulously etched lines, adds depth and richness to the monochrome palette. Hagen's strategic use of line and texture invites a semiotic reading. The fine lines suggesting fabric and flesh, combined with the oval frame, establish a visual language of 17th-century portraiture. The inscription below, serving as a textual anchor, reinforces the sitter's identity and virtues, creating a dialogue between image and text. This interplay challenges fixed meanings, suggesting that identity is constructed through visual and textual cues. The formal elements of Hagen’s print work together to engage in a cultural discourse about representation, identity, and the power of visual language. It serves not just as a likeness but as a site for ongoing interpretation.