Portret van keizer Jozef I 1687 - 1724

Editor: This is a really fascinating print, “Portret van keizer Jozef I” by Jacob Gole, placing it sometime between 1687 and 1724. It’s an engraving, so the detail is incredible, but the image itself feels… staged. What sort of meaning can we find in this carefully constructed representation? Curator: Ah, precisely! Note how Joseph's image is framed not just by the oval of the print, but by text above and below. The phrases in French declare "Despite the moon and the sun," and "I am the only King without equal." What might those boastful slogans suggest about Joseph’s understanding of his own authority, especially against cosmic forces, time and tide? Editor: I hadn't considered the interplay between the text and the image itself. So the words become part of the symbolic landscape? Curator: Precisely! And consider the choice of attire, and the symbols within. What emotions or concepts do the crown, ermine cloak, and the chain, laden with perhaps the Order of the Golden Fleece evoke in *you*? Are we to see him as divinely appointed, and if so, how does the text add to, or even perhaps subtly undermine that idea? Editor: It certainly emphasizes power, wealth and status, but the added boastfulness in the inscription maybe speaks to someone who feels they need to assert their position. Curator: Indeed! Notice how Gole doesn’t merely present a likeness; he’s constructing a narrative around this ruler, loaded with emblems intended to shape our reading. What stories do you think such deliberate iconography told the viewers of that era? And what continuities do you observe to contemporary power representations today? Editor: I see now, this image isn't just a record, it’s a carefully designed argument. Thank you for highlighting those deeper cultural threads! Curator: My pleasure! By attending to symbols and cultural memory we bring both past and present into sharper focus.