Portret van een onbekende man, mogelijk ingenieur Honorez 1887

This etching of an unknown man, possibly the engineer Honorez, was made in 1887 by Auguste Danse. Consider the motif of the seated man, a classic pose that stretches back to antiquity. We see the relaxed posture, legs slightly apart, one hand casually holding what seems to be a cigar, all suggesting a certain social standing. This posture appears in countless portraits throughout history, from ancient sculptures of rulers to Renaissance depictions of merchants, each time subtly shifting in meaning. The sitter gains a contemporary association, linked to the modern era. The act of sitting itself speaks volumes. It's a gesture of authority, of taking one's place in the world. There’s a psychological tension in the act, capturing a moment of rest amidst the ceaseless flow of time. This man, like so many before him, and so many still to come, sits for posterity, his image an echo in the grand hall of cultural memory.