Portret van Hans Maximilian Jörger von Tollet 1642

This is Elias Widemann’s 1642 print, portraying Hans Maximilian Jörger von Tollet. The eye is immediately drawn to the play of textures and the stark contrast between light and shadow. Widemann masterfully uses hatching and cross-hatching to create depth and form. Consider the composition: the subject, adorned in elaborate attire, is positioned against a draped curtain and a helmet. The curtain, a signifier of theatre and performance, frames the subject, suggesting a constructed identity. Beside him, a helmet alludes to military prowess, yet the overall effect is one of aristocratic display rather than martial vigour. This portrait engages with semiotic codes prevalent in 17th-century Europe, where clothing, objects, and posture were read as signs of social status and power. Yet, Widemann subtly destabilizes these fixed meanings. The softness of the sitter's expression contrasts with the rigid armour, inviting us to question the constructed nature of identity. Ultimately, the print serves not merely as a record but also as a complex interplay of signs and surfaces, reflecting the shifting sands of identity and representation in early modern Europe.