Portret van Henricus Braemius

About this artwork

Onderdeel van een serie van 67(?) portretten van burgemeesters van Zürich. Zie Hollstein German 110, 1-26.

Art Historical Context

This engraving by Conrad Meyer, created in 1679, presents a formal portrait of Henricus Braemius, one of Zürich’s civic leaders. Measuring 240 by 155 millimeters, the work belongs to a larger series of approximately sixty-seven portraits documenting the city’s mayors. Such print series served as visual records of governance, celebrating continuity in leadership during a period when Swiss city-states valued stable municipal authority. Meyer employed the engraving technique to achieve fine detail and reproducible clarity, allowing these images to circulate among collectors and institutions. Engravings like this one combined artistic precision with documentary purpose, translating painted likenesses into accessible printed form for wider audiences in the late seventeenth century. The portrait reflects the cultural importance of civic commemoration in Zürich, where images of mayors reinforced communal identity and historical memory. As part of this documented series, it offers modern viewers a glimpse into the city’s political heritage and the role of printmaking in preserving it.

About the Artist

Conrad Meyer · 1618–1689

Comment on works: Portraits; Figures; Landscapes