Portret van Friedrich Lindenbrog 1705 - 1769

Curator: This engraving, dating from the 18th century, captures the likeness of Friedrich Lindenbrog. It's part of the Rijksmuseum's collection, attributed to Christian Fritzsch. There is such history in it! Editor: He looks like he knows things, doesn't he? I feel like he's about to share a secret, but one that’s really more of an obvious truth everyone's overlooking. It makes you lean in closer to it. Curator: Well, engraving was quite popular then for disseminating images of important figures. Think of it as the pre-photography era's social media. Editor: Huh! Social media with exquisite detail and painstaking process, right? I imagine him sitting for hours, quill in hand or something... a little overdramatic maybe but that’s the mood of it. Do you know who Lindenbrog was? Curator: Lindenbrog was a scholar, part of a long line of intellectuals, his image becomes part of an important academic discourse and legacy thanks to works like this engraving. Editor: The oval frame almost feels like a portal, like he is observing us as we observe him, his face has these lines, a depth to them. I wonder what that engraving process was like for both artist and model, a very vulnerable place of image making. Curator: The printmaking techniques would involve etching the image onto a metal plate, then inking and pressing it onto paper. It's painstaking but allowed for reproduction. Which gave Lindenborg power. It granted influence in Enlightenment society. Editor: All of these lines working in the same direction giving such clarity. Its power lies in simplicity. This process speaks to so much patience. A single engraving becomes a testament of person and purpose. It invites slow reflection and reminds you of your fleeting present. Curator: And it allows us to connect with Lindenbrog, with Fritzsch, with an era, in a way few other art forms could. Editor: You're right, I feel as though the ghost of his smile knows something.