Portret van Ferdinand Hellfreich Lichtscheid 1676 - 1749

This engraving depicts Ferdinand Helffreich Lichtscheid and was created by Heinrich Jakob Otto. Likenesses like this one were more than just portraits; they were statements about social position and aspiration. The conventions of the portrait – the oval frame, the inscription naming the sitter and his titles - signal Lichtscheid’s importance as a Doctor of Holy Scripture and provost in Brandenburg, sometime in the 17th or 18th century. His dark robes and cap mark him as a figure of the church. The institutions of religion and the state are closely linked in this image. It subtly reinforces the subject’s authority. Understanding this print requires archival research into the religious and political history of Brandenburg, as well as careful attention to the visual language of portraiture in that time and place. We can learn to see how images play an active role in shaping social and cultural values.