Tage Thott. Fra ligprædiken 1666

Editor: This is a 1666 engraving by Albert Haelwegh titled "Tage Thott. Fra ligprædiken," currently housed at the SMK. It's quite elaborate. What I find most striking is how the portrait is framed, almost presented as an eternalized figure. What do you see in this piece, especially regarding its symbolic language? Curator: Well, the Baroque loved allegories, and death even more, for its impact. Look closely. Everything here tells a story of status, power, and legacy. Consider the framing itself—a warrior and a maiden hold the portrait like figures on a tomb. They speak to virtue, defense, perhaps even romantic notions. What do the coats of arms mean to you, the trumpet, the tablets? Editor: It feels like there's a narrative being constructed, one of importance. The angel with the trumpet looks like a symbol of acclaim or recognition. Perhaps the shields refer to ancestors. Curator: Exactly. It is designed as cultural memory. The trumpet heralds fame, immortality; the coat of arms root him in a lineage of noble action. The entire image invites you, the viewer, to recall tales of heroism and virtue, weaving a historical identity. It becomes less about the individual, Thott, and more about the ongoing cultural narrative surrounding nobility. How might this resonate with audiences today? Editor: I guess we see how the symbols and traditions surrounding power haven't really changed all that much. It gives an image an almost uncanny feel; both familiar and very foreign. Curator: Precisely. The work is successful if it leaves you reflecting on our own present moment, using an echo from the past. What's interesting here is the dialogue it provokes across time, reminding us that images carry these weighted meanings, generation after generation. Editor: It really shifts the perspective, thinking of these symbols less as decoration and more as coded communication across centuries. I never thought about it like that before.