Zelfportret van Nicolaas Walraven van Haeften 1683 - 1715

Nicolaes van Haeften created this self-portrait etching, capturing his own likeness and, perhaps, a reflection of his societal role in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. During this period, the Dutch Republic was a society undergoing significant cultural and economic shifts. Van Haeften, an artist working within this context, presents himself with long curly hair and draped clothing, signaling an engagement with artistic identity and status. The inscription at the bottom suggests an aspect of van Haeften’s artistic focus, “to paint better than anyone the smokers and the drunkards.” In seventeenth-century Dutch art, these subjects often carried moralistic undertones, reflecting societal attitudes toward vice and excess. By focusing on these types, van Haeften positions himself within a tradition that both observes and critiques human behavior. His choice in depicting these subjects not only provided commentary on Dutch society but also offered insight into the personal values and observations that defined his artistic vision.