Portret van Gemma Frisius 1682

Edme de Boulonois created this print of Gemma Frisius, sometime after his death, using engraving. Frisius was a prominent 16th-century Dutch mathematician, cartographer, and instrument maker. This portrait, likely commissioned posthumously, reflects Frisius's intellectual status through visual cues: his dignified attire and the focused gaze signal a man of learning and importance. The print itself functions within a culture of scientific exchange, where images of scholars circulated alongside their ideas. Consider how the print served to memorialize Frisius, reinforcing his legacy within the scholarly community. The Rijksmuseum's acquisition and display of this print reflects a later valuing of scientific history and the role of images in shaping historical narratives. By studying such images and their circulation, we gain insight into the social networks and institutional frameworks that shaped the development of science and the visual arts in the early modern period.