Portret van Edward Leigh op 60-jarige leeftijd 1662

This print, created by Johann Georg Göbel, depicts Edward Leigh within an oval frame, a common Renaissance motif signifying containment and focus, almost as if it were a coin. The Latin inscription encircling Leigh is not merely decorative, but crucial. Inscriptions like these are common and serve as both label and commentary, intended to immortalize the sitter's essence. The act of framing someone's image is a deeply rooted tradition, harking back to ancient funerary masks and classical portrait busts. Think of the Roman practice of preserving ancestral visages. This impulse to capture and remember is not just historical; it’s a powerful expression of collective memory. The same impulse that drove Roman sculptors now informs Göbel's engraving. In truth, it's more than a likeness; it's an invocation. A testament to the enduring human desire to cheat death through art.