Portret van keizer Jozef II 1764

This is Anton Tischler's portrait of Emperor Joseph II. Note the ornate floral embroidery on his coat, a motif which, while decorative, carries echoes of ancient symbols of fertility and prosperity, seen in ancient Roman art and later re-emerging in Renaissance tapestries. Consider the circular buttons adorning his jacket. The circle, a universal symbol, represents wholeness and eternity. This form transcends cultures, from the Ouroboros in ancient Egypt, a snake eating its tail, symbolizing cyclical renewal, to the mandalas of Buddhist traditions, representing the cosmos. Here, these circular buttons may subtly convey the Emperor's aspirations for enduring power. The collective memory of such symbols, passed down through generations, subconsciously informs our understanding and imbues the image with a sense of timeless authority. The artist taps into something primal, engaging viewers on a deep, psychological level. This cyclical progression of symbols resurfaces, evolves, and takes on new meanings in different historical contexts.