Portret van Pontus de Huyter 1682

This is an engraving of Pontus de Huyter by Nicolas de Larmessin, made in the late 17th century. Huyter was a historian, and here we see him presented in a manner befitting his status as a man of letters. The print was made in France, and the use of engraving speaks to the rise of print culture and its relationship to institutions of learning in the early modern period. As we consider this image, it's useful to think about what role the printing press played in the creation of a public sphere, and how an image like this might have circulated among learned communities. Was its main purpose to convey information, to flatter the sitter, or both? To fully understand this image, one might look at other prints of the period, as well as archival material relating to the print trade. By situating a work like this within its institutional context, we can better understand its meaning and significance.