Portret van Michael Christian Rusmeyer 1738

Johann Martin Bernigeroth's 1738 engraving, "Portret van Michael Christian Rusmeyer," depicts the German theologian and academic in a formal portrait. The subject is presented in a bust-length composition within an oval frame, wearing a ruff collar and a dark coat. The image was likely intended to celebrate Rusmeyer's accomplishments as a professor of theology at the University of Greifswald, Germany, which is noted in the inscription below the portrait. The artwork provides a glimpse into the style of portraiture in the mid-18th century and offers insight into the social and intellectual context of the time. The inscription "1686 1745" below the portrait likely refers to Rusmeyer's birth and death years.