Portret van Petrus Poterius Andegaven op 53-jarige leeftijd 1608 - 1688

This engraving portrays Petrus Poterius, a 53-year-old physician, made by Claude Mellan. The subject's neatly trimmed beard and mustache resonate with a cultural emphasis on order and control, reflecting the values of his time. Note the white collar, a stark contrast to the patterned doublet. Throughout history, the plain white collar signifies purity, intellect, and authority. Think of Dutch portraits by artists like Rembrandt, in which these collars mark the sitters as educated and virtuous. This image shows a subtle interplay between external markers of status and inner character, echoing the enduring human quest for meaning and identity across different cultural epochs. Such symbols are not static; they evolve, weaving a complex web of cultural memory.