Portret van Catharina Schacher 1712 - 1733

This is Martin Bernigeroth's etched portrait of Catharina Schacher. Note the oval frame, a dominant motif used since antiquity, that encapsulates her likeness. More than mere decoration, such frames symbolize containment and idealization. Think of ancient Roman portrait busts encased in similar ovals, immortalizing emperors and patricians. This form reappears throughout the Renaissance and Baroque periods, suggesting an enduring human desire to capture and preserve the essence of an individual. The oval, a symbol with roots in the very beginnings of image-making, has perpetually resurfaced. This shape, with its implication of something complete and contained, affects us on a subconscious level, embodying the human yearning for eternity. It shows how the past is never truly gone but rather, continues to shape our present perceptions.