Portret van Caspar Jacob Christiaan Reuvens 1835 - 1853

Leendert Springer created this portrait of Caspar Jacob Christiaan Reuvens using etching and engraving. The Dutch Empire during the late 18th and early 19th centuries was experiencing political turmoil, economic decline, and intellectual ferment. Reuvens, as the first professor of archaeology in the Netherlands, contributed to the construction of national identity through the study of the past. His focus on Dutch antiquities was an attempt to give a sense of shared history, during a time of political and cultural upheaval. The portrait’s visual language conveys Reuvens's social standing, academic achievements, and intellectual contributions to Dutch society. The traditional composition and formal attire represent Reuvens as an educated elite. It evokes a sense of respectability, but also perhaps a hint of the societal expectations placed upon men of his stature.