Portret van Goswinus Arnoldus 1743

This is Frans Pilsen's print of Goswinus Arnoldus, made in the early 1700's with etching. The portrait gives us insight into the hierarchies of the time, presenting Arnoldus as a figure of authority. He's dressed in the robes and wig of the upper class. This imagery reflected a society deeply structured by class. Made in Belgium, then a territory under the Holy Roman Empire, the print situates Arnoldus within a network of power, as one who served in the Belgian council under Emperor Charles VI. Notice the Latin inscription, with a coat of arms below that all emphasize the importance of ancestry, nobility, and loyalty to the empire. To understand this print better, historical research into the political structures of the Holy Roman Empire would be useful. How did one acquire nobility? How did the role of art serve power? It's through understanding context that the print of Arnoldus comes alive, and its meanings are unlocked.