Portret van Ferdinand hertog van Brunswijk-Wolfenbüttel 1758

This is Hermann Jakob Tyroff's engraving of Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, made in 1758. The image presents Ferdinand in armor, framed by an oval inscribed with the words "TUTELARIS PATRIAE GENIUS," meaning "Guardian Genius of the Fatherland." The portrait exemplifies the visual codes of power and authority prevalent in 18th-century Europe. Wearing armor connects Ferdinand to a military tradition, while the Latin inscription reinforces his role as a protector of his land. The engraver, Tyroff, was working within a system of patronage, producing images that upheld the social hierarchy. To truly understand this image, one would need to delve into the history of the Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel dynasty, and the social conditions that gave rise to the need to visually portray one's power. By consulting period documents, letters, and other images, we can reconstruct the complex web of meaning embedded in this portrait.