Portret van de schrijver Johannes Lublink de Jonge 1786 - 1809

Reinier Vinkeles made this portrait of the writer Johannes Lublink de Jonge, using etching, a printmaking technique, in the late 18th century. The portrait presents us with an intriguing glimpse into the cultural and intellectual life of the Dutch Republic at the time. Vinkeles’s print offers a window into the world of Dutch letters, as well as the relationship between writers and the visual arts during the period known as the Dutch Golden Age. The image is framed within an oval border, a stylistic convention of portraiture. The composition is formal. Lublink is presented as a man of letters, part of the cultural elite of the time. The Dutch Republic of this period was a nexus of intellectual and artistic exchange, supported by a thriving publishing industry and a relatively tolerant social climate. By researching the lives and works of both the artist and the writer, we can better understand the cultural milieu in which this portrait was created, and the social role that art played at the time.