Man met baard en bontmuts 1722 - 1774

Curator: Let’s discuss Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich’s, "Man met baard en bontmuts" or "Man with Beard and Fur Cap", created sometime between 1722 and 1774. It is currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: There's something compelling in the immediacy of it; the quick, scribbled lines lend an almost unfinished air, but that's its charm. It conveys character efficiently. Curator: Precisely. What Dietrich achieves here through the etching process speaks volumes. It is not simply a portrait, but an engagement with the accessibility and distribution afforded by printmaking techniques of the time. He captures this character using, as you said, quick and effective lines achieved by a laborious and skilled use of the etching needle. Editor: I find it striking how the cap immediately draws the eye, a focal point emphasizing the figure’s… maybe not nobility, but certainly a distinct sense of identity. Head coverings in portraits are often a signifier. What do you think that represents in a sociohistorical way? Curator: Exactly! The cap, constructed of seemingly rough fur, signals both status and perhaps, depending on its specific construction and source materials, ties to particular geographic regions and trade networks of the period. One might consider, then, the markets where materials of that kind circulated, the means through which this particular cap came to be constructed and worn by this man. Editor: This figure reminds me of depictions of philosophers or even prophets, especially with that deeply set gaze. What do you see in the facial construction of this subject? Curator: Yes! Consider too the visual connection the print aims to create; the very act of etching allows Dietrich to craft not just an image but something more intimate. I’m left with this feeling of how connected it is to his hand and what he wants us to feel about the world as it was being impacted by print production. Editor: I will admit that considering how its social context affects my experience and feeling about the work opens it up more to me. Curator: Indeed, thinking of Dietrich and this work in terms of material shifts gives it another reading. Editor: Thanks for enlightening me about all those elements I was oblivious to at first.