Portret van een geestelijke met een (opgeschilderd) Maltezer kruis op de borst en een pelerine 1864 - 1883

Editor: We’re looking at a fascinating gelatin silver print from between 1864 and 1883, titled “Portret van een geestelijke met een (opgeschilderd) Maltezer kruis op de borst en een pelerine,” or "Portrait of a cleric with a (painted) Maltese cross on his chest and a pelerine" by Leonard Stollenwerk. There’s a solemn feel to it; he looks quite composed. What stands out to you when you look at this portrait? Curator: Oh, this is whispering stories to me! This gentleman, frozen in time… he's not just *sitting* for a photograph. He’s presenting himself, isn’t he? See that Maltese cross – rather bravely (or naively) painted onto the photo itself. This gives it an extra layer of, well, performance! This was, let’s remember, relatively early days for photography. There was a real sense of, you know, almost alchemic wonder about it, the power to capture a likeness. I can almost smell the darkroom! What does this pelerine suggest to you, besides obviously a religious order, in this period? Editor: That it may have been quite expensive at the time for the cross to have been hand painted to make it look a little bit better? Curator: Precisely! Think about the social context. This cleric probably wanted to project authority, virtue – to embody something timeless, perhaps! The hand-painted element suggests he's aiming for something "more" than a straightforward likeness. He wanted his virtues broadcast! He certainly presents a very curious blend of technology and... well, self-fashioning, wouldn’t you agree? And what do you read from it all? Editor: It’s like a window into the past that gives you an intimate feel. And that this was quite a production back in the day! I will be keeping my eyes open for hand-painted accents going forward. Curator: Exactly! And isn't that marvelous? Each detail, each painted flourish tells us not just about *him* but about the entire world in which this image came to exist. It is this window that keeps my attention to historic works!