Buste van keizer Hadrianus 1646 - 1670

This engraving of Emperor Hadrian's bust was created by Hubert Quellinus. The composition is dominated by the structured bust and the grid-like hatching, which gives texture and form to the image, while also suggesting depth. Quellinus has rendered the bust with remarkable precision, yet the very act of engraving introduces a layer of interpretation. The use of line becomes critical: it defines the contours of Hadrian's face and the folds of his toga, transforming sculpture into image, a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional representation. The cross-hatching not only models form but also invokes the intellectual debates of the time. It can be seen as an attempt to capture, through reproducible means, the essence of a classical ideal. The cool, intellectual approach invites us to consider how the very act of representation mediates our understanding of history and power. The image becomes a site where classical ideals are not merely reflected but actively reconstructed.