Portrait of Arnoud van Halen (1673-1732). Painter, Printmaker, Poet and Collector in Amsterdam 1725 - 1732

Christoffel Lubienitzki painted this oil on panel, a portrait of Arnoud van Halen, a man of the arts in Amsterdam. Van Halen holds two potent symbols of memory and identity: a miniature portrait and a sheet of paper with a drawing. The miniature, a token of affection or remembrance, echoes the Renaissance tradition of carrying loved ones' images close to the heart. Think of the cameos of antiquity, resurrected during the Renaissance, each a small universe of personal meaning. The act of holding and displaying this image speaks volumes about the sitter’s identity and personal connections, a gesture that transcends time. The sheet of paper, bearing a drawing, underscores Van Halen's artistic nature, reminiscent of artists displaying their sketches, linking this portrait to centuries of artistic self-representation. Like a recurring dream, these symbols remind us of the cyclical nature of human expression, forever evolving yet eternally rooted in the depths of our collective psyche.