Grafmonument met portret van Johann Kaspar Lavater 1801 - 1817

This print of a grave monument with a portrait of Johann Kaspar Lavater was made by Johann Heinrich Lips. Consider the imagery here: Lavater, a Swiss pastor and theologian, is memorialized with putti, symbolic figures, and a portrait medallion, all pointing to the institutionalization of his public persona. Born in Zurich, Lavater's legacy was tied to his writings on physiognomy, the pseudoscientific practice of assessing a person's character from their outer appearance. This engraving can tell us much about how the art world operates as a gatekeeper of knowledge. Lips created this print for public consumption. But it also reflects an art world deeply embedded in social and intellectual circles. The print immortalizes Lavater through widely recognized artistic tropes associated with remembrance. By analyzing the print's composition, symbolism, and historical context, we can understand how public figures were made famous, how knowledge circulated, and how the institutions of art and science shaped cultural values in the late 18th century.