Portret van Johannes Tulla op 45-jarige leeftijd 1693 - 1738

This is Johann August Corvinus’s 1707 engraving, "Portret van Johannes Tulla op 45-jarige leeftijd," made with burin and etching. The composition balances a tightly rendered portrait with symbolic textual elements, all contained within a small rectangular space. The oval portrait frame, circumscribed with text, focuses our gaze on Tulla, whose face is meticulously detailed through hatching and cross-hatching. The ruff collar, a series of concentric semi-circles, draws attention to the face through stark contrast. Below, a rectangular block displays a poem, framed by an emblem, adding another layer of semiotic complexity. The text, both as content and form, serves as a commentary on Tulla’s virtues and his relationship with the divine, reflecting broader cultural values. Corvinus’s skilled use of line and space transforms a simple portrait into a meditation on identity, virtue, and spiritual devotion. The visual structure directs us through a series of signs, each contributing to a larger cultural and philosophical narrative.