Portret van Lucius Annaeus Seneca 1776

This is Johann Heinrich Lips’s print of Lucius Annaeus Seneca made in the late 18th century. Lips made use of the printmaking medium to circulate the images of philosophers far beyond any single collection or institution. The image is an engraving, a medium that lends itself to the clear reproduction of lines. Lips makes full use of this quality in his depiction of Seneca. Lips has chosen to present Seneca in sharp detail and to emphasize the philosopher's age. This approach would have been completely in keeping with the period's broader Enlightenment fascination for the classical world. It also reflects a renewed interest in the philosophy of Stoicism, with its emphasis on virtue, reason, and acceptance of what cannot be changed. Engravings like this one were often made after existing sculptures. If we wanted to research the image further, we might ask, what earlier image did Lips rely on? And what choices did he make in translating that image into a new medium for a new public?