Portret van Johann Georg Neumann 1709 - 1748

This is a portrait of Johann Georg Neumann, made by Moritz Bodenehr in the late 17th or early 18th century. The print offers insights into the societal values and intellectual life of its time. Neumann, identified as a professor, is depicted amidst symbols of learning: books, a heavy tome, and scholarly attire. In this era, education was a privilege, and portraits like these were tools to solidify status. The setting is a carefully constructed image of erudition, a performance of the self as an educated, upper class man. The gaze exudes confidence, and his gesture directs us to the source of his knowledge: the written word. Who had access to this knowledge? Who was excluded? The portrait speaks volumes about power, access, and the construction of identity in a society sharply divided along lines of class. This image encapsulates the way identity was carefully crafted and communicated in the 17th and 18th centuries.