Portræt af Erik Paulsens hustru, Anna Elisabeth Pauelsen, f. Lobeck 1774 - 1808

Friedrich Ludvig Zuschlag created this relief portrait of Anna Elisabeth Pauelsen, née Lobeck, capturing her in profile with delicate lines. The profile portrait is a statement of power that dates to antiquity. Consider Roman coins where the emperor's profile conveyed authority. This classical motif surfaces in the Renaissance, a symbol of humanism that emphasizes individual identity. Here, Anna Elisabeth is immortalized, not as a goddess or allegorical figure, but as herself. Yet, Zuschlag's work is not unique; it echoes countless other portraits. Each borrows from the past while adding a new layer of meaning. The relief medium itself is evocative. It emerges from the flat background, as though materializing from memory. This act of remembering and memorializing reflects humanity's timeless desire to defy oblivion. The emotions evoked—love, respect, and the wish for immortality—speak across the centuries. And so, the profile persists, an echo resonating through time, transformed by each new hand, each new face, yet forever linked to the collective memory of art.