Portret van Johann Christian Kessler op 47-jarige leeftijd 1776

This is Johann Christian Gottfried Fritzsch's portrait of Johann Christian Kessler, made sometime in the 18th century. Note the book, clutched as if bearing not just words but truth itself, a symbol stretching back to antiquity. The book, a vessel of knowledge, appears in religious contexts, carried by evangelists and prophets, and in secular portraits, signifying wisdom and learning. In this portrait, the book's presence evokes a sense of authority but also of vulnerability. The gesture of holding the book close suggests a protective instinct, a desire to safeguard knowledge in a world of shifting beliefs. It echoes the ancient Greek depictions of philosophers holding scrolls, and also the Christian iconography of saints with their gospels. It shows a cyclical progression from pagan scholarship, to religious truth, to enlightenment learning, each era layering new meaning onto this simple object, as a psychological anchor. The portrait thus invites us to consider the book not just as an object, but as a cultural artifact loaded with the weight of history.