Portret van een jonge magistraat 1610 - 1677

Jan Cossiers created this portrait of a young magistrate using graphite and red chalk. Cossiers, who lived through the Eighty Years’ War, painted historical allegories and genre scenes that frequently explored the complexities of human nature and the social order. This portrait invites us to consider the role of class and gender in 17th-century Dutch society. The magistrate’s refined clothing and composed demeanor speak to his high social status, a position typically reserved for men of a certain class. His identity is shaped by expectations of power and authority, yet his youth suggests a future still in formation. We might also ponder the silent narratives of those excluded from such portraits: the women, the poor, and the colonized peoples whose labor and lives underpinned the magistrate’s world. Cossiers doesn't offer alternative narratives; instead, he maintains the traditional representations of power. This work then asks us to reflect on who holds power, and who is being overlooked.