Portret van Diederik Johan van Hogendorp van Hofwegen 1787

This is Johan Christoffel Schultz’s portrait of Diederik Johan van Hogendorp van Hofwegen. It’s an engraving, so likely it was part of a series of images. Here, Van Hogendorp is framed, quite literally, by the trappings of his class and position; the stone-like oval, his powdered wig, and the inscription which proudly states his title as Colonel and Captain in the Amsterdam militia. Schultz has captured him in a moment of composed, almost severe, self-presentation. Van Hogendorp lived during a time of significant social upheaval, including the rise of revolutionary ideas which challenged the old guard. Portraits like this one often served to solidify social hierarchies but they also reflect the anxieties of a class facing change. The portrait not only memorializes Van Hogendorp as an individual, but also prompts reflection on the societal structures that shaped his identity and the broader context of 18th-century Dutch society.