Portret van Heinrich Sander in allegorische setting 1782 - 1803

Christian Gottlieb Geyser created this print, "Portret van Heinrich Sander in allegorische setting," using etching. This allegorical portrait is laden with the visual language of its time, reflecting the enlightenment's ideals about virtue, memory, and the public persona. The portrait of Heinrich Sander is framed by symbolic elements characteristic of eighteenth-century memorial art. Two classical figures adorn Sander’s memorial. One kneels in grief, while the other gently drops flowers into her hand. The Latin inscription implies that grief and sighs are not enough, urging a more profound remembrance. The composition invites us to consider how Sander was meant to be remembered. The neoclassical imagery, common among the educated elite, speaks to a desire for lasting recognition. However, the emotional display of grief hints at a more personal, perhaps vulnerable, dimension of public life.