Portret van Johann Stephan Pütter op 51-jarige leeftijd 1776 - 1777

This is Johann Elias Haid’s engraving, “Portret van Johann Stephan Pütter op 51-jarige leeftijd,” made in 1777. Note how Haid uses a muted palette to achieve a complex interplay of light and shadow, lending the portrait a sober, intellectual air. The composition is divided into distinct zones: the oval portrait above, the rectangular inscription below. This division creates a structured, almost architectural framework. The lines of Pütter's gaze and posture subtly intersect with the text, forging a connection between the man and his accomplishments. Consider the semiotic implications of this structure; the portrait, framed in an oval, suggests a window onto the subject’s character, while the inscription anchors him within a context of law and academia. The print challenges traditional portraiture by emphasizing the sitter's intellectual identity. It invites us to consider how power and knowledge are visually encoded and transmitted through art.