Portret van Arnold Hoogvliet 1760 - 1785

Pieter Willem van Megen rendered this print of Arnold Hoogvliet with ink on paper sometime in the late 18th century. Hoogvliet is framed in an oval, a shape that, from antiquity through the Renaissance, frequently signified the containment of virtue and wisdom. The oval, itself, has an interesting trajectory through art history. In ancient Roman portraiture, it was a common framing device found on sculpted busts, symbolizing the importance of the individual immortalized within. Later, during the Renaissance, the oval frame was revived, notably in painted portraits, signifying a rebirth of classical ideals. Consider its presence in religious art as the 'mandorla,' an almond-shaped halo enveloping Christ or the Virgin Mary, representing spiritual transcendence. The oval’s evolution tells us how symbols can cyclically resurface, each time imbued with new layers of cultural significance, yet still echoing traces of the past.