Ovaal studioportret van M. de Vries, hoogleraar in faculteit van wijsbegeerte en letteren aan de Leidse universiteit 1873 - 1874

Curator: Oh, what a face! He seems caught between the weight of scholarship and maybe a secret longing for something…lighter. Editor: Indeed. We're looking at an oval studio portrait of Matthias de Vries, a professor at Leiden University, captured between 1873 and 1874 by Bernardus Bruining. It’s a gelatin silver print. Curator: A professor! I knew it. There's an academic gravity there, like he’s contemplating the weight of words and wisdom. But, there’s also a flicker—maybe a story he's not telling. That photographic oval is almost claustrophobic. Editor: The oval format does add to that sense of containment, doesn’t it? It was a very common stylistic choice for portraits in that era. It isolates the sitter, focusing our attention entirely on their face, attire and what they represent. Notice also the deliberate pose and staging to capture his intellect and standing. Curator: He looks properly…serious, right? This pose is so symbolic. Almost iconic in its formality, don't you think? But tell me more about the symbolism embedded in academic portraiture? Editor: Consider the clothing, the pose, even the subtle retouching to project not just an image of a man, but of scholarly authority, trustworthiness and virtue. His gaze meets ours, but it's a controlled, thoughtful meeting, a careful invitation to connect with his intellect rather than his personality. It says, "I represent knowledge, I represent tradition." Curator: Tradition, exactly. And sometimes tradition can feel a little heavy. I keep wondering what made him tick. He has this glimmer that makes me think of someone breaking free! Or trying to at least. Editor: Perhaps photography was still a new medium, and to sit for a portrait was a very important, and thus serious, undertaking? The lack of spontaneity or what seems like restraint can, in itself, be telling. Curator: Restraint for days! He’s got me captivated though. In the end it makes the mystery more enjoyable and relatable. Editor: Ultimately, in considering Matthias de Vries, we delve beyond surface resemblance. We begin to read how society reflected, constructed, and, literally, pictured its values. It really allows us a portal into that era.