Portret van Josephus de Longas 1755

Curator: This is "Portret van Josephus de Longas", an engraving crafted by Pieter Tanjé in 1755. The print resides here with us at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It has such a stoic air about it! The frame practically swirls with baroque dynamism, contrasting delightfully with the calm figure within. Almost as if Longas is the serene center of a storm of decoration! Curator: Indeed. Tanjé’s print expertly captures the baroque aesthetic, but also subtly subverts it. Look closely: the ornamentation of the frame serves less to glorify Longas than to...compartmentalize him, if that makes sense? The portrait becomes almost architectural. Editor: An architectural portrait! I like that. The lines in this engraving are so very clean, lending Longas a somewhat formidable mien—especially given how his gaze seems to follow the viewer, yet his expression never really softens. A formidable presence immortalized on paper! Curator: The crisp lines that Tanjé achieves contribute greatly to this sense of a reserved power, which echoes Longas’s station as evidenced by the inscription beneath the image which, of course, reinforces our understanding and therefore perception. Editor: It is as though we're catching a private moment but it is crafted so he presents himself as being very controlled. Even his fingers clasped just so. I think it also speaks volumes about 18th-century society—everyone eager to present the ideal. A little scary! Curator: "Scary", perhaps in its implications of performativity. Yet Tanjé delivers with exacting artistry, and we viewers now stand decades later interpreting signs encoded by both artist and sitter in 1755. That interplay is eternally fascinating. Editor: Absolutely. It has been an amazing experience engaging with Longas, who looks straight out of the picture frame to talk with you.