Portret van Johan Casimir hertog van Saksen after 1601

Dominicus Custos made this engraving of Johan Casimir, Duke of Saxony. Note the cross above his head, a symbol of authority and faith, and the elaborate ruff, a sartorial statement of the sitter’s noble status. The cross, an emblem of sacrifice and redemption, has journeyed through time, from early Christian catacombs to medieval reliquaries. It reappears in diverse forms, imbued with new layers of meaning. The rigid, starched ruff encircling the Duke’s neck echoes the plumed collars seen in ancient Roman portraiture and recurs in paintings throughout the ages. It becomes a theatrical device, framing the face as a mask, veiling the subject's true self, and projecting an image of power and aloofness. These symbols, like echoes in a vast hall, remind us that history is not linear, but a cyclical dance of images resurfacing in different guises, each carrying the weight of cultural memory.