Portret van Jan Wagenaar c. 1830 - 1845

This is an engraving of Jan Wagenaar by N.M. Schild. The portrait, with its delicate lines, captures the essence of a man of importance, but it is the wig that commands our attention. Observe how it cascades in disciplined waves, a symbol of status and intellectual prowess. The wig is not merely a fashion statement; it's a cultural marker, an emblem of power. It echoes through time, harking back to the elaborate hairstyles of ancient royalty, and resurfaces later in unexpected forms, like the towering wigs of the French aristocracy. Consider the psychological weight of such a display. Does it conceal or reveal? Does it project authority or mask vulnerability? Such symbols engage us on a subconscious level, stirring ancestral memories and prompting us to consider how we, too, construct our identities through visual cues. The symbols resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings.