Portret van Ludwig Karl Eberhard Heinrich Friedrich von Wildungen 1814

This portrait of Ludwig Karl Eberhard Heinrich Friedrich von Wildungen was made by Johann Gottlieb Boettger. Note how the man’s image is framed within a wreath composed of oak and fir branches, intertwined with deer antlers. The choice of oak and fir, symbols of strength and resilience, are often used to evoke a connection to nature. The antlers are a powerful image, reflecting both the virility and the vulnerability of the stag. In antiquity, horns were associated with divinity and power. We can find this in the headdress of horned gods across cultures. The antlers here, however, also suggest the hunt and the cycle of life and death. This duality captures a deep, subconscious understanding of our place within nature. This imagery invites us to consider how symbols persist and transform, echoing through the corridors of time and collective memory.