Portret van Johann Otto von Hellwig

The subject is depicted in profile wearing a voluminous periwig and armor draped with a cloak, framed by a Baroque scrolled border. Below the portrait is a stone pedestal featuring a Latin verse that compares Hellwig’s intellect to that of Socrates. The print serves as an author portrait, likely appearing as a frontispiece for a posthumous collection of his works.

Johann Otto von Hellwig was a prominent German physician and alchemist known for his extensive travels and his compilation of alchemical secrets, 'Curiosiora et Selectiora Variorum Alchymistarum Arcana'. This image reflects the high social status of the courtly alchemist-physician in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, framing alchemical study as a noble and philosophical pursuit.