Portret van Willem Gustaef Frederik Bentinck 1794

Reinier Vinkeles made this print of Willem Gustaef Frederik Bentinck in the Netherlands, but its date is unknown. It depicts Bentinck as if his portrait is on display, presented as a kind of monument. Looking at the setting and the dress of the sitter, we can see a concern for the prevailing codes of status and class in the Netherlands at that time. This concern is reinforced by the way the portrait is presented, almost as a sculpture on a pedestal. What this print tells us is that there was a market for images that reinforced the social hierarchy of the time. This artwork is now held at the Rijksmuseum, but more research might reveal the identity of the individual who commissioned it. That would help us to better understand the motivation behind its creation and how it circulated at that time. After all, an artwork’s meaning is contingent on its social and institutional context.