Portret van Anne Jules hertog van Noailles 1666 - 1707

Curator: Let’s take a look at this portrait print of Anne Jules, Duke of Noailles. It was created between 1666 and 1707 and is held here at the Rijksmuseum. The artist responsible for this engraving is Gėrard Edelinck. What strikes you initially about this image? Editor: All that incredible armor glinting, and then, those glorious curls! It's like the man's prepared for both war and a lavish party. There's a definite tension between the ruggedness of his military attire and the almost comical excess of the hair. What a statement. Curator: The material choices speak to that duality. Edelinck has rendered the textures meticulously – the hard, reflective surface of the metal armor contrasts beautifully with the softness implied in the hair and lace. Consider the process of engraving itself: etching line by line into the metal to create such an illusion. Editor: It’s a powerful choice, that armor. Makes you think about protection, defense, and, frankly, the constraints of duty and rank. But his expression… it seems so neutral. It’s like the artist is deliberately avoiding any hint of internal struggle. What are his thoughts, tucked behind that impenetrable surface? Curator: It’s important to remember the social context. Portraits like these served specific purposes – they projected power and status, solidifying the subject’s position in society. This isn’t necessarily about revealing inner turmoil. Edelinck, as an engraver, was also part of a workshop system, reproducing and disseminating images according to prevailing taste. Editor: Ah, so even that elaborate hair isn’t necessarily an act of personal rebellion, but rather conforming to a style? That changes how I see the artist’s role, doesn’t it? Now it is all a carefully constructed statement! Curator: Precisely. Examining the techniques and the labor that goes into creating an image reveals much about the time in which it was made and the purpose for which it was intended. Editor: That interplay of texture and rigidity makes the subject and artwork timeless even as its a snapshot into the late 17th and early 18th century.