Portret van een man, misschien een lid van de familie Collot d'Escury of Van Rappard 1768

Joseph Marinkel made this portrait of a man – possibly a member of the Collot d'Escury or Van Rappard family – in the late 1700s, using watercolor on ivory. During this time, miniature portraits were very fashionable among the elite in the Netherlands. The portraits were often commissioned to commemorate births, deaths, or marriages. They were a symbol of status and were sometimes worn as jewelry or kept in ornate cases, like this one. The man's powdered wig, dark coat, and lace cravat are visual cues that indicate his wealth and social standing. The artist may have been trying to convey the sitter’s importance through these conventional signs of status. To understand the social world of this man we might ask: who were the Collot d'Escury and Van Rappard families, and what role did they play in Dutch society? Genealogical records, probate inventories, and other archival sources might reveal more. Art like this is rooted in a specific time and place, and only by understanding that context can we truly appreciate its meaning and significance.