Portret van Johann Rudolf Schellenberg c. 1760 - 1770

This etching captures Johann Rudolf Schellenberg in profile. The image, confined within a scroll, evokes the classical tradition of portraiture, reminiscent of Roman busts. The scroll itself is an ancient symbol, evolving from practical documents to emblems of knowledge and authority. We see it echoed in medieval depictions of prophets holding scrolls of sacred text, later in Renaissance paintings where scholars clutch scrolls representing wisdom and learning. Observe how the scroll here presents Schellenberg. The sitter's portrait being presented within the scroll suggests a narrative—of history, perhaps, or destiny. It elicits a powerful psychological response, reminding us of the ever-turning wheel of time and the cyclical nature of cultural memory. The portrait is thus not merely a likeness, but a fragment of a larger, ongoing story, forever to be reinterpreted and reshaped by the currents of history.