Portret van Albert Krantz 1722

This is Christian Fritzsch's engraving of Albert Krantz, made in Germany in the early 1700s. Krantz was a 16th-century historian and theologian, and this print is typical of the ways learned figures were commemorated long after their deaths. Note the octagonal frame around Krantz’s image, resembling a memorial plaque. Below, an inscription lists his achievements: canon of the Hamburg Cathedral, lecturer, and historian. Krantz is portrayed with the sober dress and dignified bearing of a scholar. Prints like these served to keep alive the memory of important civic and religious leaders, reinforcing the values of the institutions they served. Understanding this image requires delving into the history of Hamburg, the Reformation, and the development of German historical scholarship. Researching Krantz's writings and the history of Hamburg Cathedral would shed light on the social and intellectual world that this print evokes. The meaning of art is always contingent on its historical context.