Portret van Henricus Schotanus à Sterringa 1604 - 1670

Editor: We’re looking at a portrait of Henricus Schotanus à Sterringa, an engraving by Crispijn van de Passe the Younger, likely created sometime between 1604 and 1670. It has a somber mood, and the fine lines create incredible detail. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: This engraving speaks volumes about the status of portraiture and printmaking in the Dutch Golden Age. Consider the historical context. The rise of the merchant class fueled a demand for images – portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes – that reflected their aspirations. Prints, like this one, became a readily available and affordable medium, making art more accessible. What does this accessibility do, politically, for visual culture? Editor: I suppose it allows a broader audience to engage with images and the people they portray. Was the subject famous? Curator: Indeed. Representing Henricus Schotanus à Sterringa through an engraving suggests he held a prominent position in society. Note the inscription below the image. The text labels him as a Frisian, with the letters B. Fil., and LL. et mathefeos Studiofus. What social message would these cues imply? Editor: They seem to suggest Sterringa’s connections to law and mathematics. So he was probably someone of importance in those intellectual circles. The fact his portrait was reproduced as a print then speaks to that recognition, correct? Curator: Precisely! Printmaking enabled the circulation of his image and, by extension, his social standing. Van de Passe played a crucial role in disseminating such imagery, catering to a growing market for visual representations of the elite and influential. So, consider how prints functioned in shaping public perception during the period. Editor: This puts the engraving within a whole new historical framework! The subject, the artist and the very fact this is a print, provide insights into the political dynamics of the Dutch Golden Age. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure, considering art through its public and political functions deepens our insight into our shared cultural past.