Portret van Joost van Laren 1653 - 1676

This is Theodor Matham’s portrait of Joost van Laren, made as an engraving sometime in the mid-17th century. Van Laren was a minister in Vlissingen, in the Netherlands. The Latin text below the image tells us that he was selected as an interpreter by the highest order of Belgian religious authorities, so this is a portrait of a man of God, but also an intellectual. The sober style, and the inclusion of Latin text, suggests a learned, pious, and serious person – someone committed to the Church. This image creates meaning through visual codes and cultural references. The book lying open on the desk, and the architectural features in the background, tell us that van Laren is a man of thought and culture. As historians, our job is to uncover the social conditions that shaped this image, and to reflect on its meaning in a particular time and place. We might ask, what was the role of the church in 17th century Dutch society? How were religious figures viewed and portrayed? These are the kinds of questions that drive our inquiry.