Portret van Masaniello 1755

This is Michel Aubert's early 18th-century engraving portraying Tommaso Aniello, or Masaniello, as he was commonly known. Framed within an oval, Masaniello's head, crowned with a simple head wrap, evokes classical busts of antiquity. This head wrap, however, transcends mere fashion. Consider the Phrygian cap, a soft, conical hat that has symbolized freedom and revolution since antiquity. Though Masaniello’s head wrap differs, it shares a similar spirit of rebellion. Masaniello, a fisherman, led a revolt against the nobility in Naples in 1647. His humble attire became a symbol of the common man rising against oppression. The image of the rebel leader, enshrined in the visual language of classical authority, highlights how the memory of revolution is repackaged and re-presented. This echoes in later images, where revolutionary figures are depicted with similar nods to classical portraiture. It’s as though collective memory seeks to legitimize radical change by associating it with the weight of history. The image has an emotional charge, a visual shorthand for resistance that continues to resonate.