Ontmoeting tussen Scipio en Hannibal 1796

Ludwig Gottlieb Portman created this print, "Meeting between Scipio and Hannibal," sometime during his life between 1772 and 1828, now held at the Rijksmuseum. Portman, working during a period of shifting European politics, looked to classical history. Here, Portman depicts a moment of potential understanding between two military leaders, Scipio, representing Rome, and Hannibal, of Carthage. Think about this encounter as a moment of cultural negotiation. Each figure, flanked by their attendants, embodies the values and power structures of their respective societies. The print invites us to consider the complexities of leadership, cultural identity, and the human cost of conflict. Notice the body language of the figures. What emotions do you detect? Consider how Portman uses the visual language of classicism to comment on his contemporary world, where empires rose and fell, and where questions of identity and power were constantly renegotiated.