Portret van Christoph Wolle 1745

Johann Martin Bernigeroth created this portrait of Christoph Wolle using engraving techniques. Wolle, a man of the church in Leipzig, is captured here with the attire and bearing fitting his status. During the 18th century, portraits like these were more than mere likenesses; they were carefully constructed statements of identity, reflecting social standing, profession, and personal values. The rigid formality of the portrait, from Wolle's clerical collar to his composed expression, speaks to the importance of religious authority in the social fabric of the time. Yet, there's also a sense of the individual trying to emerge from behind the symbols of power. It is interesting to consider who had access to such images and spaces, and how these representations both reflected and reinforced the era’s power dynamics. What does it mean to look back at these portraits now, and recognize both the history and the humanity of its subjects?