Portret van Rudolf I van Habsburg 1641

Curator: This engraving from 1641 purports to depict Rudolf I of Habsburg. Note the fine detail achieved through the engraving process – the layering of lines to create tone, and the dedication in the lower section praising the subject's lineage and power. Editor: Gosh, he looks…severe! A very medieval Santa Claus gone wrong. The face seems a bit cartoonish compared to the finery of the robes and crown. Does this mismatch impact its propagandistic qualities? Curator: Indeed, and such portraits were crucial for establishing legitimacy, especially during the tumult of the era, think of the Thirty Years’ War, its socio-economic impacts that shifted patronage. The emphasis on heraldry, the carefully inscribed Latin text around the image reinforces the idea of lineage and divinely sanctioned rule. These details underscore the production of power itself, how power relations were fabricated through such portraits. Editor: Makes you think about how controlled images are now too – influencers curating their online presence...it is not that different! Though I must admit, the detail in that crown IS impressive. One can see that the artist meticulously represented the jeweled nature of this crown with precision and love, and even reproduced heraldic devices with detail and passion for craft. There are clearly many details like that, from his robes to his jewelry to the letters themselves. Curator: And considering the means of production - the cost of copper plates, the specialized labour involved in engraving, this image would have been disseminated amongst a specific audience, reinforcing existing power structures and solidifying Rudolf’s legacy amongst an elite class. This work asks us to consider images beyond mere "resemblance." How did it work? To what end? Editor: Absolutely. I see now that the apparent crudeness might well be because I am missing that very social and material dimension. But looking closely again at old Rudolf, the engraving gives him this kind of ageless, archetypal quality, beyond just one guy wearing a crown. It's like a concept of a king! Curator: Precisely. Thinking about its function rather than merely its aesthetic qualities, the image shifts from simply a likeness to a potent political artifact.