Portret van Willem Bloys van Treslong 1841 - 1879

Edouard Taurel made this print of Willem Bloys van Treslong sometime in the 19th century. Taurel’s print connects to a long tradition of portraiture that was deeply embedded in social, political, and economic life in the Netherlands. Visual codes of status are everywhere in this image. Treslong’s clothing and facial hair are markers of wealth and masculine authority. The coat-of-arms also indicates Treslong’s noble status in Dutch society. This image was made long after Treslong’s death, so we must consider the place of historical memory in Dutch visual culture. Treslong was a naval hero in the 16th century struggle for independence from Spain, and this print continues the work of cementing his place in the national consciousness. To understand this image fully, historians must consider the economic and political conditions that made the Dutch Republic, the place of the military in Dutch society, and the changing function of art institutions in shaping collective memory.