Portret van Caspar Titius op 78-jarige leeftijd

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso, gestempeld: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

This engraving by Johann Dürr captures Caspar Titius at the venerable age of seventy-eight, presenting a dignified likeness typical of seventeenth-century portraiture. Created in 1656, the work reflects the era’s interest in commemorating notable individuals through widely reproducible prints, allowing their images to circulate among scholars, collectors, and admirers across Europe. Dürr, a German engraver active during the Baroque period, brought meticulous attention to facial detail and costume, emphasizing the sitter’s maturity and character. As an engraving, the medium offered fine lines and subtle tonal gradations that conveyed both realism and gravitas. Such portraits often served as frontispieces or standalone tributes, preserving the memory of their subjects long after their lifetimes. The small scale—roughly 18 by 14 centimeters—made the print intimate and portable, suitable for inclusion in personal albums or scholarly libraries. A collector’s stamp on the reverse (Lugt 2228) further attests to the print’s journey through notable collections, underscoring its enduring appeal to connoisseurs of historical portraiture. Today, the work invites viewers to reflect on the passage of time and the quiet authority conveyed by age.

About the Artist

Johann Dürr · 1600–1663

Johann Dürr (1600–1663) was a German copperplate engraver who worked primarily in Weimar during the mid-17th century, producing prints for court and scholarly patrons during the tumultuous period of the Thirty Years' War. Born in 1600, Dürr's career spanned one of the most devastating periods in German history, when religious conflict and military campaigns brought widespread destruction to German...