Portret van Erasmus von Starhemberg 1645

Curator: Here we have Elias Widemann’s engraving, “Portret van Erasmus von Starhemberg” from 1645, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It's funny, isn't it? How even portraits become relics of bygone trends. Editor: Yes, the details are fascinating. The swirling frame and delicate hatching create a rather imposing, somewhat melancholy air. How do you read this engraving, given the style? Curator: Oh, style, that slippery serpent! For me, it’s less about fitting it neatly into a Baroque box, and more about the *feel* of it. Look at those inscriptions swirling around the image: They trap the gaze. There's almost a wistful quality that sneaks through. Do you pick that up too? Editor: I do now that you mention it. The weight of legacy, perhaps? Curator: Precisely. There’s the surface impression – the status, the wealth, frozen by the artist’s needle, but I am interested in *inner weather.* Starhemberg's faint frown: is that exhaustion? Skepticism? Maybe it is anxiety, or just that he was just bored by all the sitting for the portrait... or did he sense the end of an era coming? The brilliance of Widemann, I suspect, is inviting that speculation. Editor: I love that thought! It really challenges the initial impression of Baroque pomp and formality. It is a fresh perspective! Curator: See? Every artwork's a magic mirror reflecting our own thoughts back at us. That’s why art remains an endless rabbit hole for curious minds. Editor: Definitely. I’ll certainly never look at another Baroque portrait the same way again.