Portret van Heinrich Philipp Guden 1742

This print of Heinrich Philipp Guden was made by Christian Fritzsch in 1742. It presents an important figure in his social role, framed and inscribed, as was typical for printed portraits at the time. The image is a form of public commemoration, meant to circulate within a specific community. The Latin inscription and the sitter’s clerical garb indicate that this community was one of educated, Latin-literate theologians. The institutional history of the church in the German lands at this time would be crucial to understanding Guden’s position and influence. Engravings like this one give us insight into the social networks of intellectuals. These are the kinds of materials a social historian would use to reconstruct the world of early modern Europe. By studying who was represented, how, and for what audience, we learn about the values and power structures of the period.