Portret van Johann Friedrich Pfeffinger 1731

This is Johann Georg Mentzel’s ‘Portret van Johann Friedrich Pfeffinger’, an engraving. Notice how the circular form encasing the portrait disrupts the more rigid architectural background. This contrast is a key structural element, setting up a dialogue between the organic and the geometric. Mentzel uses intricate lines to define texture and form, creating a rich visual field. The lines almost vibrate across the surface. Consider, for example, the subject’s elaborate wig, constructed from a dense network of lines. These function as signs of status and intellectual prowess. The portrait is not just a depiction of an individual, but an exploration into the semiotics of representation. The sharp lines of the engraving itself become part of the symbolic language. They encourage us to reflect on how graphic representation informs meaning and structures our understanding of identity.