Portret van Petrus Broes 1763 - 1804

This is Carel Jacob de Huyser’s etched portrait of Petrus Broes. It’s a small work, and the sitter is framed in an oval, but the impact of the image relates to the period in which it was made. This etching comes from the late 1700’s. It's an era when the Dutch Republic’s economic and political power was in decline. The print depicts Broes, likely a man of religious standing given his attire, in the kind of formal composition that was typically reserved for the wealthy and powerful at the time. This democratization of portraiture was facilitated by the rise of printmaking as a commercial enterprise. Prints like this, circulated widely, played a role in shaping public perceptions and solidifying social hierarchies. By studying the artist, the sitter, and the context in which the print was made, we can gain a deeper understanding of the social and cultural values of the time, as well as the ways in which art both reflected and influenced those values.