Portret van Johann Hugo von Orsbeck 1690 - 1713

This print depicting Johann Hugo von Orsbeck was made by Pieter Schenk in the late 17th or early 18th century using etching and engraving. Schenk worked in Amsterdam at a time when the Dutch Republic was a major center for printmaking and the production of images served as a form of political and social currency. Here, Orsbeck, who was the Archbishop-Elector of Trier, is presented within a classical oval frame. This references the traditional imagery of state portraiture whilst alluding to the power of the church. The text below the image, written in Dutch, suggests the importance of Orsbeck as a political figure in Dutch society. These prints are revealing of the culture and the political climate of the time. To fully understand them, the historian draws upon archives and collections of printed ephemera, understanding that art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.