Portret van Bertholet Flémalle en Gerard de Lairesse 1718 - 1721

Jacob Houbraken's engraving portrays Bertholet Flémalle and Gerard de Lairesse amidst symbols laden with artistic heritage. Note the busts elevated upon classical pedestals, evoking the revered tradition of honoring great men, a practice stretching back to antiquity. These are not mere portraits; they are deliberate acts of memorialization, designed to inscribe these figures into the cultural consciousness. Look at the painter's palette and books scattered nearby. They function as emblems of the artist's trade and intellectual pursuits. These objects root the subjects in a lineage of creative and scholarly endeavor, connecting them to a history of artistic practice. Consider how these symbols persist, evolving across epochs. The elevation of artists, the celebration of craft—these are enduring motifs, continuously reshaped by collective memory and aspiration. Their recurring presence speaks to our deep-seated need to immortalize, to connect with genius, and to understand our creative selves through the figures of those who came before.