Portret van Cornelis van Poelenburg 1708 - 1780

Jacob Houbraken made this portrait of Cornelis van Poelenburg with pen and brown ink around the 18th century in the Netherlands. Note how the drawing itself appears to hang from two rings, as though it were a page torn from a sketchbook. This is an illusion, of course. But, it may gesture towards a culture of intimate exchange between artists, a visual record of conversations about technique and style. The Dutch Golden Age saw the rise of a prosperous merchant class, and with it, the growth of a market for art that celebrated individual achievement and civic pride. Portraiture became a powerful means of affirming social status. The institutionalization of art through academies and collecting played a significant role in shaping artistic careers. We might ask, what role did portraiture play in affirming cultural norms? Analyzing archival records, artists' biographies, and exhibition histories helps us understand how the image functions as a cultural artifact.