Portret van Gottfried Benjamin Preuss 1720

This is Johann Oertl’s portrait of Gottfried Benjamin Preuss, made as an engraving, sometime between Oertl's birth in 1690 and Preuss' death in 1739. The portrait, now held at the Rijksmuseum, offers us a glimpse into the social and intellectual world of early 18th-century Europe. Engravings like this played a crucial role in disseminating images and ideas across Europe. Note the elaborate Latin inscription, which tells us about Preuss’s lineage and accomplishments. The inscription and symbolic elements, such as the family crests, would have resonated with a specific audience familiar with the conventions of heraldry and classical learning. Preuss was a physician and academic, closely associated with scientific societies. His portrait reflects the values of the Enlightenment, emphasizing knowledge, reason, and public service. By examining such imagery, we can understand the ways in which individuals sought to construct and project their social identities through visual representation. Resources such as genealogical records and scholarly publications can help us better understand the depicted subject.