Wapenschild van Frederik V Possibly 1604 - 1899

Editor: Here we have "Wapenschild van Frederik V", or Coat of Arms of Frederick V, a baroque engraving dating sometime between 1604 and 1899, attributed to Simon van de Passe. The detail is remarkable for such a small print! It feels very… official, somehow. Almost like a royal seal. What do you make of it? Curator: Ah, official indeed! This isn’t just a decoration; it's a statement. Imagine the artist, hunched over, meticulously carving these tiny heraldic symbols. The lions, the crown, the bizarre lozenge shapes… it's all deliberate. Each element tells a story of lineage, power, and aspiration. Notice how the text encircles the central image. Feels a bit like being caught in the orbit of importance, doesn't it? Do you see any family connections? Editor: Well, there are two lions on each side of what seems to be two shields! Does each of these animals, shapes, or images have a deeper symbolic reference, like in Medieval art? Curator: Absolutely! Lions traditionally represent courage and nobility. The shields, complex jigsaw puzzles of familial history, point to the intertwining of different houses through marriage and inheritance. It's a visual family tree, meant to impress upon the viewer the legitimacy of Frederick's claim. Think of it as the Facebook profile of a 17th-century royal… albeit slightly less boastful! All of it pointing at dynastic power. Editor: It makes me think differently about portraits, then. As carefully constructed propaganda? Curator: Perhaps not all, but definitely a good deal. Every little element speaks! From royal bling to how a family wants its message to be represented, as if it has to say everything that’s important in that single artwork. It makes it special, almost like a code.