Portret van Clemens van Demmeltraadt

About this artwork

Portret in ovale lijst van Clemens van Demmeltraadt, chirurgijn van Amsterdam. Van Demmeltraadt zit op een stoel, buste licht naar rechts. In zijn handen een chirurgisch instrument. De prent heeft een Nederlands onderschrift met naam geportretteerde

Art Historical Context

Behold the striking *Portret van Clemens vanmeltraadt* (Portrait of Clemens van Demmeladt), an etching by Dutch artist Jan Willem Caspari, between 1789 and1822. This intimate portrait captures the Amsterdam surgeon seated in a chair, his bust turned slightly to the right a classic oval frame—a format favored in period printmaking for its elegant, medallion-like focus on the sitter. In his hands, he holds a surgical instrument, symbolizing his professional expertise during an era when medicine was advancing rapidly amid the Enlightenment's emphasis on science and empirical knowledge. Caspari's etching technique, an intaglio process involving acid-bitten metal plates, allowed for fine, expressive lines that convey texture and depth on the generous sheet measuring 493 mm high by 383 mm wide. This medium was ideal for disseminating portraits of notable figures like van Demmeltraadt to a wider audience, beyond elite oil paintings. The Dutch inscription beneath reinforces its local cultural resonance, honoring a practitioner in Amsterdam's vibrant medical community. This artwork reflects the late 18th- and early 19th-century Dutch fascination with professional portraiture, elevating surgeons as pillars of progress. It offers visitors a window into a time when etchings bridged art and commemoration, preserving the legacies of everyday innovators.

About the Artist

Jan Willem Caspari · 1779–1859

Jan Willem Caspari (1779–1822) was a Dutch painter, engraver, and draftsman working in Amsterdam during the early nineteenth century, a period of political upheaval and artistic transition in the Netherlands. Though historical records contain some confusion regarding his dates—with some sources listing 1859 as a death year—the weight of evidence suggests he died in 1822 at the relatively young age...