Portret van een onbekende familie 1857 - 1914

Nikolay Semyonovich Mosolov created this portrait of an unknown family using an engraving technique. The elaborate ruffs worn by the parents immediately capture our attention. These large, circular collars, popular in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, signified status and wealth. We see similar ruffs in portraits across Europe during this period, each conveying a sense of dignity and formality. Consider how such adornments reappear in later eras, perhaps in the exaggerated collars of theatrical costumes. These symbols of status echo across time, transforming yet retaining a core association with power and identity. Perhaps the collective memory, the echo of past grandeur, unconsciously influences our perception, reminding us of the cyclical nature of symbols, constantly reborn through the ages.