Portret van Georg Wilhelm Zapf 1798

This is a portrait of Georg Wilhelm Zapf, crafted by Christoph-Wilhelm Bock using etching techniques. Notice the profile presentation, a symbolic choice echoing ancient Roman portraiture. The profile was used to convey authority and status, and appears throughout history, in coins and busts of emperors, resurfacing in Renaissance medals, each time reaffirming the subject’s power and importance. Observe Zapf’s powdered wig, a symbol of status in the 18th century. It conceals natural hair, transforming the individual into a symbol of sophistication. Think of the elaborate headdresses of ancient Egypt or the towering wigs of the French court. These transformations engage with primal desires to transcend our mundane existence, tapping into collective dreams of transformation. The cyclical nature of symbols is relentless; they never truly disappear but resurface, changed, each time reflecting the anxieties and aspirations of a new age.