Floris II from the series Counts and Countesses of Holland, Zeeland, and West-Frisia 1650

Curator: This engraving, dating back to 1650, is by Pieter Soutman, part of his series depicting the Counts and Countesses of Holland, Zeeland, and West-Frisia. This one specifically features Floris II. Editor: Immediately, what grabs me is the…gravitas? It’s such a serious, almost grumpy face, framed by that incredibly ornate, slightly comical crown. It's hard to decide whether the intention of the artwork is meant to praise him or it just feels like… heavy irony? Curator: Soutman produced this series during the Dutch Golden Age, a period of immense artistic and commercial prosperity. It served both to document and somewhat romanticize the history of the region's leadership. Note that it is currently at the Met, in New York. Editor: So, propaganda, essentially, only packaged elegantly. It almost looks as though it's in an oval mirror... like he is in some sort of cage... Was it an accepted idea to depict royal figures to have them conform with a beauty standard? Or the artist captured exactly the "essence" of Floris' figure? I guess we can only imagine. Curator: In part. But portraiture served as a crucial means of legitimizing power. By creating these standardized depictions, artists reinforced notions of lineage, authority, and Dutch identity, although artistic interpretations still came into play. That lion on the lower side is also interesting... A declaration, maybe? Editor: Well, he certainly isn't smiling. And that ornate border, so symmetrical and orderly, feels almost like it's trying too hard to distract you from that expression. It makes me want to dig deeper and know the REAL story of this Floris II... which this image so successfully buries. Curator: Indeed, portraits like these tell as much about the societies and political climates that produced them as about the individuals they depict. Each artistic element and choice contributes to how power is portrayed. Editor: Right, it seems a bit like marketing… like selling a slightly spoiled product... I feel that the best art always invites a bit of a playful resistance... Thanks, Floris! Curator: A lens to view how power was constructed and projected in the Dutch Golden Age.