Portret van keizer Tiberius in ronde omlijsting 1510 - 1527

Here we have Marcantonio Raimondi's engraving portraying Emperor Tiberius, encapsulated in a round frame, a symbolic echo of ancient Roman coins. The inscription around the portrait proclaims "DIVI AVG F AVGVSTVS," linking Tiberius to the divine Augustus, a powerful claim to legitimacy and continuity. Consider how the image of a ruler, framed thus, recalls not just Roman coinage but also the Renaissance interest in classical authority. The profile, a stark and unembellished view, presents Tiberius as an austere leader, a motif that reverberates through centuries of portraiture, whether in busts or engravings. This act of framing, of memorializing, evokes deep-seated psychological responses: a desire for order, for permanence amidst the flux of history. The engraved lines themselves, precise yet stark, create a visual tension, an emotional undercurrent that speaks to the complexities of power and legacy.