Portret van Plato 1615 - 1647

This is Jerôme David’s “Portret van Plato,” an engraving now held in the Rijksmuseum. It depicts Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher, in a way that reflects 17th-century understandings of classical wisdom. Made in the Netherlands, it captures the period's renewed interest in classical thought. We see Plato not as a distant historical figure, but reimagined through the lens of Dutch Golden Age intellectual life. The engraving, with its careful lines and attention to detail, embodies the period's humanist values and the belief in the power of reason and knowledge. It also underlines the social function of art as a tool of instruction. Understanding this engraving fully requires looking into the period's publishing industry and the role of classical learning in shaping social and political thought. We can begin to see how images like this were used to create a sense of historical continuity and legitimize contemporary ideas and institutions. This kind of study enriches our understanding of art's function within the cultural landscape.