Portret van een echtpaar, vermoedelijk een kopie naar een zeventiende-eeuws schilderij 1827 - 1891

Johannes Bosboom made this drawing, a probable copy of a seventeenth-century painting, with graphite and watercolor. The choice of these materials is interesting. Bosboom, working in the 19th century, has turned to readily available materials to interpret an artwork from an earlier era. The soft graphite allows for subtle gradations of tone, mimicking the light and shadow of the original painting. Watercolor adds delicate washes of color, suggesting the textures and hues of the clothing and skin. But consider what he omits: the rich impasto of oil paint, the laborious process of layering and glazing. By choosing humbler materials, Bosboom acknowledges his position as a copier, rather than an originator. This piece invites us to think about the labor involved in artmaking, the social status associated with different materials, and how these factors influence our understanding of value and authenticity.