Portret van Ernst Casimir, graaf van Nassau-Dietz 1667

This portrait of Ernst Casimir, Count of Nassau-Dietz, is an engraving showcasing symbols of power and lineage. Encircling the Count is a wreath of laurel, an ancient Greco-Roman emblem signifying triumph and honor. Consider how laurel wreaths crowned victorious athletes and emperors, their likenesses adorning coins, and then reappearing on the heads of Renaissance rulers, a visual echo across millennia. Here, it frames Ernst Casimir, not as a god-like figure, but as a leader, a governor, subtly imbuing him with an aura of authority. Below the effigy, we see the heraldic shield emblazoned with lions. The lion, potent in its symbolism, can be traced back to ancient civilizations, from the Near East to Europe, representing courage and nobility. This symbol persists today, its primal resonance still stirring deep within our collective psyche, reminding us of the enduring human fascination with power. The continuous reappearance and adaptation of the symbol of the laurel, and the lion, across different eras and cultures highlight the non-linear, cyclical progression of images and collective memory.