Portret van Johann Michael Fehr 1683

This is Johann Alexander Böner's portrait of Johann Michael Fehr, made using etching. We see the German physician and member of the Academia Naturae Curiosorum, a learned scientific society. His membership is referenced in the text below the portrait that names him an 'Argonaut', a symbolic term used by the society. The portrait is carefully framed within an oval and set upon a pedestal. The formality of the setting and the inclusion of the inscription indicate the importance of public recognition in the scientific culture of the time. Böner’s decision to portray Fehr holding a rose may allude to his expertise in botany and medicine. Further research into the archives of the Academia Naturae Curiosorum would help us understand the significance of the portrait in relation to Fehr’s scientific achievements and his standing within this influential intellectual circle.