Portret van Hendrik Casimir I, graaf van Nassau-Dietz 1840 - 1884

This is a print of Hendrik Casimir I, Count of Nassau-Dietz, made by Christiaan Lodewijk van Kesteren in the 19th Century. It uses a historical style, referring back to the 17th Century when Hendrik Casimir I lived. In the Dutch Golden Age, portraiture was used to communicate a sitter's social status, wealth, and allegiance. Note the Count's lavishly embroidered clothing and carefully styled hair, both signs of wealth and status. Below the portrait is his coat of arms, an emblem of family pride. Van Kesteren’s print revives these visual codes, referencing an earlier period of Dutch power. This print was made during a period of Dutch history in which the country looked back to its past to define its national identity. Prints such as this played a part in that process, making historical figures such as Hendrik Casimir I visible to the public. Historians study portraits like this in relation to the political and cultural context in which they were made, using archives and collections to better understand the place of art in the construction of national identity.