Volwassen man, naar links 1802

This small etching of an unknown, older man was made by Jan Chalon in the Netherlands sometime in the late 18th century. It’s a fairly straightforward portrait, but it’s one that leaves lots of questions unanswered. The man's face is heavily shadowed, and the soft cap hides much of his hair, giving him an air of mystery. What social role did this image play? Etchings like this were often made as practice pieces by artists. But portraiture, even on a small scale, was also a way to participate in civic life, and claim a kind of visual immortality. To understand the context of this image, we would want to know more about the social status of the sitter, and the role of portraiture in Dutch society at the time. Catalogues of prints and archival records might help us to further understand the cultural and institutional forces at play here.