Portret van Johann Hieronymus Sulzer 1762 - 1772

Curator: Here we have Johann Elias Haid's engraving of Johann Hieronymus Sulzer, created sometime between 1762 and 1772. It's currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It has a hushed sort of stillness to it, don't you think? The somber tones really pull you in, like you’re overhearing a secret. And the frills! Those lace cuffs are doing a lot of work. Curator: Yes, and consider the engraving technique itself. Look at the deliberate cross-hatching, used to build up the tonal range, mimicking the texture of fabric. The velvet coat practically begs to be touched. It speaks to a culture of careful reproduction and dissemination of images, widening access but through intensive labor. Editor: The gesture, too, that hand resting gently on the table. It’s not forceful, not commanding. It suggests thoughtfulness, almost weariness. Makes me wonder what burdens that senator was carrying. And it really shows how far one could get on the strength of those powdered wigs alone! Curator: Wigs aside, it exemplifies Baroque sensibilities translated into print – a move from overt theatrics to a more subdued elegance appropriate for the rising merchant class, wouldn't you agree? An aesthetic choice dictated by economic shifts, where even gravitas is commodified and circulated. Editor: Precisely! And speaking of the economic underpinnings of this sober portrait, who bought these engravings? To plaster in their drawing rooms as a means to… what? Status signalling? Intellectual solidarity? And, given how laborious each print was to produce, how was Haid himself paid? I wish we could see the accounts, the price per print. Curator: Exactly! We see the portrait, the result, but to fully understand it, we need to examine those material conditions of artistic production and distribution, not only the senator's carefully cultivated persona. Editor: In the end, while the past may fade, our collective cultural artifacts still quietly bear witness, and perhaps, occasionally even whisper answers to the wind. Curator: Nicely put. I couldn't agree more, understanding this era goes beyond the subject and looking deeper into the socioeconomic factors offers further layers of comprehension.