Portrait of Sir Drack 

This portrait of Sir Drack was created by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, using graphite on paper. The eyeglasses stand out, framing the gaze. These were not merely tools for improving sight but symbols of intellectual prowess and burgeoning modernity. Consider how eyeglasses appear in Jan van Eyck’s "Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati," dating centuries before this portrait. These are not just about vision correction; they evoke an aura of knowledge and scholarly insight. The motif evolves; what began as a symbol of clerical wisdom transforms into a marker of enlightened bourgeois society. Note how the seemingly simple addition of eyeglasses subtly shapes our perception, altering the sitter's character from one of religious contemplation to one of secular acumen. This is the beautiful, cyclical nature of images.