Silhouetportret van Sebald Fulco Johannes Rau 1775 - 1807

This is Christoph Gebhard Grape’s ‘Silhouetportret van Sebald Fulco Johannes Rau’. Grape, who was born in 1761, made this portrait using etching. During the late 18th century, silhouette portraits were a popular and accessible way to capture a person's likeness, particularly among the middle classes. The silhouette flattens identity to a profile. Look at the adornments around the central image, the frame is decorated with ribbons and sprigs. Below the portrait is an inscription that tells us the sitter is S. Rau, Professor of Utrecht. Silhouettes reduce a person to their most recognizable form while simultaneously elevating them, in this case through the addition of elaborate decoration. Consider the emotional impact of this flattening, and the simultaneous elevation. While the silhouette is a marker of identity, it also invites us to reflect on the societal values and power structures of the time.