Portret van Johann Heinrich Waser

Conrad Meyer created this portrait of Johann Heinrich Waser in etching around 1653. It's an image embedded in the politics of its time and place, Zurich in the mid-17th century. Waser was a leading figure, a 'Father of the Fatherland' as the inscription states. The Latin text around the oval praises his virtue and good deeds, reinforcing his status as a pillar of the community. But such official imagery always warrants a closer look. Who commissioned this print? What was its intended audience? Waser himself was a controversial figure, a target of criticism and this image could have been created to bolster his image amidst political tensions. To fully understand this portrait, we need to delve into the social and political history of Zurich and the Waser family through archival research. Only then can we appreciate the full complexity of this image and the role it played in the society that produced it.