Alphons Diepenbrock c. 1895 - 1925

This image captures Alphons Diepenbrock, immortalized by W.G. Hondius van den Broek, in what appears to be a photographic negative. The reversed tones give an eerie quality to the portrait, heightening our focus on Diepenbrock's intense gaze and his hands clasped in quiet contemplation. His clasped hands, an ancient motif of self-containment and control, echo across centuries, from Roman orators to Renaissance scholars. We see it even in depictions of Christ in Majesty, a gesture of authority and wisdom. Here, it subtly hints at Diepenbrock's intellectual life. However, the photographic negative transforms this gesture, making the familiar strange. Ultimately, what intrigues me is how this image defies simple interpretation. It is a testament to how images, like dreams, work on us, resurfacing in unexpected forms, carrying echoes of the past into our present.