Portret van Johann Matthäus Englert - Michael Rössler

A formal Baroque engraving by Michael Rössler depicting the German pastor and scholar Johann Matthäus Englert with symbolic attributes of his office.

This engraving by Michael Rössler depicts Johann Matthäus Englert, a figure of ecclesiastical and academic authority in early eighteenth-century Germany. Rössler, a Nuremberg-based engraver, employs the formal conventions of the period to communicate the status of his subject. Englert is presented within an oval frame, a common device in portrait prints of the era, which separates the sitter from the architectural base below. He wears the traditional clerical attire of the time, including a plain white collar and a dark, heavy robe. His expression is composed and direct, reflecting the gravity expected of a pastor and professor. The composition includes symbolic elements that define Englert's professional identity. A closed book rests on the ledge to the left, while a quill and an oil lamp sit to the right. These objects signify his dedication to scholarship, theology, and the illumination of knowledge. Above the oval frame, a small coat of arms provides further heraldic context, linking the individual to his specific lineage or office. The base of the print features an extensive Latin inscription, detailing Englert's titles and his role as a primary pastor and school inspector in Schweinfurt. Rössler demonstrates technical precision in his handling of the burin. The cross-hatching and fine lines create a sense of volume in the drapery and texture in the wig. The background within the oval is rendered with a subtle, uniform pattern that directs the viewer's attention to the face of the sitter. This work is a clear example of the commemorative portraiture produced for academic and religious circles in the Holy Roman Empire. It functions as both a record of an individual and a display of the engraver's skill in balancing text and image within a structured, formal layout.