Portret van Pascal François Joseph Gossellin 1784 - 1834

This print depicts Pascal François Joseph Gossellin and was made by Konrad Westermayr. Westermayr’s portrait of Gossellin presents a vision of the enlightenment intellectual, but to fully understand the image, we need to know something about Gosselin himself, who was a member of the French National Institute, and a keeper of coins and antiquities. This image was likely made around the turn of the 19th century when western European nations were investing in institutions devoted to historical research and the preservation of national treasures. The Rijksmuseum, where this print is now kept, is itself a product of this same impulse. By studying prints like this, and understanding the historical context in which they were made, we can learn much about the history of institutions like the French National Institute, and the cultural values that gave rise to them.