Buste van keizer Domitianus 1646 - 1670

This engraving of Emperor Domitianus was created by Hubert Quellinus in the 17th century. The bust emerges from a flat, lined plane, a study in contrasts between form and void. The artist uses the graphic language of hatching and cross-hatching to sculpt Domitianus's features. This technique not only models the contours of his face and torso but also evokes the texture of marble, a nod to classical statuary. The linear precision mirrors the emperor’s rigid gaze, suggesting an immutable authority. Yet, the work exists as a print—a reproduction—which inherently challenges the notion of singularity and power. The act of reproducing the emperor’s image destabilizes the traditional aura of the artwork. Instead, it functions as a sign within a larger cultural discourse about representation and authority. The calculated details and controlled lines of the bust serve as a commentary on the emperor’s calculated and controlled reign, inviting us to decode the structures of power embedded in its very form.