Portret van Aegidius de Glabbais 1717

This print depicts Aegidius de Glabbais, and was made by Andries van Buysen Senior. Prints like these served an important social function in 18th-century Holland. They offered a means of celebrating civic and religious figures, while also promoting the values and beliefs of the institutions they represented. De Glabbais was clearly an important member of the Catholic community in Amsterdam, as we can see from the inscriptions celebrating his jubilee. Look at the way the image is constructed. The oval frame, the Latin inscriptions, and the bookshelves in the background, all work to convey a sense of learning and piety. Even the crucifix in the background serves to root De Glabbais in a longer tradition of religious scholarship. The artist is trying to convey De Glabbais as a figure of reverence. To fully understand the print, we need to research the history of the Catholic Church in Amsterdam, as well as the social and political context in which De Glabbais lived and worked.