Portret van Johann Philipp Fresenius 1739 - 1791

This engraving is a portrait of Johann Philipp Fresenius, made by Johanna Dorothea Sysang. Sysang was a German artist working in the eighteenth century, a time when women had limited access to formal artistic training. She often collaborated with her father, Johann Esaias Nilson, who was also an engraver. Here, we see Fresenius, a prominent theologian, his status rendered through the formality of the portrait. Sysang’s decision to depict Fresenius, a figure of religious authority, tells us much about the cultural values of the time, and the people who commissioned and consumed art. As a woman, her access to the art world was often mediated through familial connections. This piece invites us to consider the dynamics of gender and artistic production in the 1700s. Although Sysang's individual voice may be subtle here, her work contributes to a larger dialogue about the role of women in shaping cultural narratives.