Reproductie van een gravure van een portret van Jan Snellinck door Pieter de Jode (II) before 1877

Joseph Maes made this reproduction of a portrait of Jan Snellinck by Pieter de Jode II, using engraving, sometime between 1838 and 1908. This engraving is a copy of an engraving; a reproduction of a reproduction. The image shows us a man, Jan Snellinck, a painter from the 16th and 17th century, who had a certain status, a member of the bourgeoisie, represented as serious and composed. This portrait exists within a complex system of power and representation. As a painter during the late Renaissance, Snellinck navigated a society steeped in tradition, where artistic patronage was often dictated by the elite. The making of this print, and the making of copies of it, speaks to the ways in which images circulate and the different contexts that shape them. The act of reproducing and disseminating his image served to solidify his legacy. Consider the historical context, the layers of representation, and the silent dialogues occurring across time, as we look at this work.