Portretten van N.N. Roukens, Hendrik Soukens en Frans van Eynden 1816

Pieter van der Meulen created this portrait in etching technique, capturing Roukens, Soukens, and van Eynden. Observe the dominant visual symbols: the men’s elaborate wigs, the artist's tools, and the classical portrait style, each imbued with meaning. The wigs, a hallmark of the 18th-century elite, speak of status and adherence to fashion. We see echoes of this emphasis on elaborate hairstyles in ancient statuary and royal portraiture across Europe, where hairstyles often symbolized power and sophistication. Think of Roman emperors whose hairstyles are echoed in later periods of power. The artist's tools remind us of the human desire for self-expression and the act of artistic creation across cultures. This creative process, from the cave paintings of Lascaux to modern art, engages viewers on a subconscious level, tapping into primal instincts. These symbols, seemingly fixed in time, are in constant flux, resurfacing, evolving, and accruing new layers of meaning as they journey through history.