Engraving circa 1800, influenced by Van Sichem. T he portraits, we can assume, have symbolic meaning. To be able to answer this question, we have to go back to the personal vision of the author or to the impressions of the viewer. We can say that Luyken has pictured Menno as a powerful preacher whose heart was influenced by the biblical message. Jacobus Burghart, whose 1683 engraving has been copied many times, shows Menno as a pietist.
Artists render a depiction of the spiritual climate of their time.
It is therefore no wonder that Arend Hendriks emphasized the psychological side of Menno. In 1961 Warren Rohrer utilized an expressionistic interpretation. This portrait , more than any other one, is found in contemporary journals. M ore important than the quantity of portraits, is the artistic quality. The portraits, however, are from a later period when Menno's followers had already adjusted themselves to the world.