Portret van de verzamelaar en diplomaat Philippe Le Roy before 1679

This is Anthony van Dyck's 'Portrait of the Collector and Diplomat Philippe Le Roy', an engraving currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The composition presents Le Roy within an oval frame, starkly contrasted against the rectangular plate below that displays heraldic symbols and Latin text. The image evokes a sense of formality and the rigid social structures that defined 17th-century nobility. Van Dyck's mastery lies in his use of line and texture to construct depth. The shading within the oval creates a three-dimensional effect, while the precise hatching defines the contours of Le Roy's face and drapery. Note how these formal elements—line, shape, and composition—transcend mere representation. Engravings like this also operated within a semiotic system of signs, communicating status and identity through symbols. The text and heraldry at the bottom function as cultural codes that would have been legible to contemporary viewers. It is the interplay between artistic technique and symbolic language that makes the artwork enduring.