Portret van een onbekende man 1700 - 1800

This is an undated portrait of an unknown man by C.L. Schott, made with black chalk, heightened with white, on grey paper. Though the sitter is unknown, the military associations of his clothing suggest the values and aesthetics of power. We might wonder about the function of such an image. Was it a private commission? Or was it made as a public offering to signal allegiance to the army? The latter would especially have been the case in countries such as France, during the reign of Napoleon, when military power was strongly linked to national identity. At a time when society was highly structured around hierarchies of class and profession, this image might provide a glimpse into the codes and uniforms through which those were expressed. To understand the picture better, it would be useful to find out more about the artist himself: was he a recognised portrait painter? And what were the institutions that supported his practice? Investigating art like this helps us understand it in its social context.