Oude man 1754

Pierre Filloeul created this engraving, “Old Man,” sometime in the first half of the 18th century. It depicts an elderly man, perhaps a philosopher or religious figure, seated in a simple chair. It was made at a time when printmaking was becoming an increasingly important means of circulating images and ideas throughout Europe. This particular print reproduces a painting from the collection of Count Bruhl, the Prime Minister of the Elector of Saxony and King of Poland. The inscription tells us that the print was made to advertise and disseminate the contents of the collection, thus making it a tool of cultural and political power. To understand this image fully, we need to research the collecting practices of the European elite and their relationship to the art market. What did it mean to own and display such images, and how did those images shape the social and political landscape of the time? These are the kinds of questions that art historians seek to answer.