Portret van Egbert Meeuwszoon Kortenaar 1822 - 1883

Curator: This engraving from somewhere between 1822 and 1883, held here at the Rijksmuseum, captures Egbert Meeuwszoon Kortenaar, Lieutenant-Admiral of Holland and West-Friesland. Editor: Well, hello there, Admiral! He’s got that serious 'I command the seas' kind of gaze, hasn't he? So crisp and precise. The detail in the lace collar—I'd wager those garments meant something powerful back then. Status, influence, I assume? Curator: Absolutely! Every aspect, from the tight lines of the engraving itself, achieved with such a deliberate hand, to his posture—speaks of authority. These prints allowed for wider distribution, right? A kind of... early social media influencing perhaps? Editor: Haha, influencer! Perhaps a slightly more… serious version! Think about it, the engraver laboriously translating flesh into cross-hatched lines. How many copies were made? What kind of paper was available, what was its price point, and what impact would those factors have on reaching the right audience, a reflection of maritime power. Curator: It’s easy to get lost in the process – the manual skill, but look at the result: you sense a steely character, don’t you? Kortenaar wasn't just a name, but someone at the intersection of artistry, labor, and, let’s not forget, military might. I sense an age, defined by its certainties – even if those certainties proved illusory in time. It is striking to imagine such a personality brought down by… the shifting tides of history? Editor: Maybe, but also consider how this was consumed! People engaging with symbols of power via commodity print and their purchasing decision—the image solidifying a certain idea in public consciousness. It's like choosing which cereal to buy— except this is deciding who you salute! Curator: (chuckles) Right. And yet… seeing his gaze again, so confidently reproduced, you’d never guess the print itself would outlive the Admiral's command. Funny how it works. Editor: Very true, so we examine everything he made and how the piece was made. Now that really would have knocked the wind out of his sails.