Portret van Totila 1549 - 1575

This print portrays Totila, an uncrowned king of the Ostrogoths, though when and where this engraving was made is now uncertain. The image presents us with a series of visual cues: a kingly crown and sceptre, a royal cape fastened with a lion motif. But what do these symbols mean? Let's consider how this image creates meaning. It's likely that the artist was working within a tradition of representing royal power in a certain way, perhaps drawing from earlier depictions of Roman emperors or biblical kings. They may have been trying to evoke a sense of legitimacy or authority for Totila, even though he was never officially crowned. Perhaps this print was produced under the auspices of a patron with specific political goals. These are the questions a historian might ask when approaching an image like this. We can use archival documents, art historical scholarship, and studies of political symbolism to reconstruct the social and institutional context in which it was made, allowing us to better understand the complex relationship between art and power.