Portret van Georg Willem hertog van Brunswijk-Lüneburg c. 1663 - 1699

Hendrik Causé etched this portrait of Georg Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, sometime in the late 17th century. The Duke’s armor speaks of a martial role, yet it is the grotesque mask at his shoulder that draws our immediate attention. Such masks, common in Renaissance armor, aren't merely decorative. Recall the Gorgon Medusa, whose petrifying gaze was affixed to shields to ward off enemies. These masks, too, were meant to instill fear and offer protection, echoing ancient apotropaic devices—gargoyles on Gothic cathedrals, or the protective visages on Greek temples. The Duke’s mask is a psychological mirror. The ancients believed in sympathetic magic, where likeness conveyed power. By incorporating this terrifying visage, the Duke absorbs some of its power. This interplay of fear and protection, aggression and defense, engages us on a primal level, stirring subconscious memories of vulnerability and strength. Thus, the image resonates, connecting us to a long, cyclical history of human efforts to confront and control the darker aspects of existence, with each era reinterpreting and adapting these potent symbols.