Professor Jacob Bircherod 1624 - 1691

Curator: This engraving by Hubert Schaten depicts Professor Jacob Bircherod. He was a prominent theologian and professor, born in 1624 and passing away in 1688. The print itself is currently housed at the SMK, the Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: The detail is striking, especially in the rendering of Bircherod’s elaborate collar and beard. You can almost feel the crispness of the ruff, and the texture of the paper jumps out at you. There’s a certain formality, a stiffness that’s characteristic of portraits from this period, I find it charmingly rigid. Curator: Exactly. This formality speaks volumes about the societal role of portraiture at the time. The print likely circulated among the academic community, solidifying Bircherod’s status and memorializing his intellectual contributions. Consider the labor involved in creating such a detailed engraving, and then its purpose: the making of a public image through reproducible means. Editor: It is intriguing how the columned text anchors the visual image with a weighty importance and is used for the creation and transmission of historical memory. The choice to frame Bircherod within an oval reinforces this sense of scholarly tradition and enduring legacy within academic and intellectual circles. Curator: And how this print, like others, democratized access to imagery. Though a painted portrait might be exclusive to the sitter and their immediate circle, an engraving could circulate more widely, fostering intellectual exchange across geographical boundaries. Think about the production and dissemination of this artwork; that informs our understanding of it as much as its visual qualities. Editor: Definitely, the artwork, displayed in this museum institution and its accessibility to the public also affect and continue to solidify its cultural importance today. As we’ve noted, beyond the image, it is a cultural artifact. Curator: A poignant reminder of how material culture preserves and transmits knowledge through time.