Portrait of Joan B. Montanus Possibly 1574

This engraving of Joan B. Montanus was made in Antwerp by Johannes Sambucus and printed by Christophe Plantin in 1574. Its combination of image and text speaks to the way that knowledge was produced and circulated in the early modern period. The portrait itself, framed by symbolic ornamentation and topped by allegorical figures, presents Montanus as a figure of great learning and authority. But the Latin text below, referencing figures like Galen, suggests that Montanus’s authority is also rooted in his relationship to classical knowledge. This image appeared in a book that presented likenesses of respected physicians. The book itself was a product of Plantin’s printing house, an important institution in the burgeoning print culture of the 16th century. To fully understand this portrait, we must examine the history of medicine, the circulation of books, and the role of portraiture in constructing social status. Together, they tell us much about the intellectual and social world of the time.