Portret van Guillaume-Thomas François Raynal 1777

This engraving by Theodoor Koning captures Guillaume-Thomas François Raynal in profile, framed within an oval stone border. Note how the artist chose to encase the figure within the oval, a shape that has long served as a symbol of containment, of holding something precious. The oval reminds me of Renaissance portraiture, where it often framed rulers and scholars, suggesting a window into the soul. Think of Botticelli's portraits, where the oval creates a sense of intimacy, focusing our gaze. Here, the stone frame, timeless and unyielding, gives the portrait an air of permanence, a desire to preserve Raynal for posterity. But consider, too, the psychological impact of such framing; it invites us to contemplate how we immortalize figures, and what aspects of their essence we choose to remember. The image becomes a vessel, laden with our collective memories and aspirations, forever shifting in meaning.