Portret van Kaspar Schoppe 1720 - 1775

Gottfried August Gründler created this print of Kaspar Schoppe sometime in the 1700s. It presents a vision of identity shaped by the religious and intellectual battles of the 16th and 17th centuries. Schoppe was a complex figure, a scholar who converted from Protestantism to Catholicism, and then used his skills as a writer and polemicist to defend the Catholic faith. The book he holds is a symbol of his intellectual pursuits, but it also represents the power of the written word in shaping religious and political identities. Gründler’s portrait immortalizes Schoppe as a man of letters. We must reflect on how individuals navigate the turbulent waters of religious and political change, and how their identities are forged in the crucible of conflict. This image serves as a reminder of the enduring power of ideas, and how they shape not only our beliefs, but also our very sense of self.