Portret van Abbas I, sjah van Perzië 1586 - 1615

Curator: This engraving on paper, created between 1586 and 1615, depicts "Portret van Abbas I, sjah van Perzië", attributed to Dominicus Custos. What's your first take on this image? Editor: It strikes me as meticulously crafted. The fine lines creating light and shadow on his turban and fur collar—you can almost feel the texture. There’s a real sense of material wealth being communicated. Curator: Indeed. Consider the deliberate use of clothing and adornment here. His extravagant turban, adorned with jewels and a crescent moon, alongside his fur-lined robes, acts as an explicit demonstration of power and authority within a hierarchical system. It immediately positions him as a ruler, a leader of significant importance. We also can't ignore the power of this particular printing. As a medium for distributing information across vast regions. Editor: Absolutely, the choice of engraving facilitates mass production. Looking closer, the texture is extraordinary. The engraving medium itself, allowing for detail in clothing, becomes an integral element in conveying a certain image of power. Consider the time and skill needed. Curator: His gaze seems rather detached, doesn’t it? Is this distance intentional, perhaps reflecting the perceived inaccessibility or even otherness of a powerful ruler from a far away land? What ideologies might be projected onto this man? Editor: It makes you think about labor, both his, and more crucially, the anonymous craftsmen, engravers, and printers that actually realize it. The labor hierarchy mirrors and reflects the socioeconomic relationships it portrays. This tension in how the object has been made and it displays wealth and power, can be hard to reconciliate Curator: The piece speaks to enduring fascinations and biases. His regal status in the East both intrigued and troubled the imagination of Europe. What remains is a potent meditation on power. Editor: Yes, and to me it really highlights that the image as a commodity is so tied to class, access, and also craft. Fascinating stuff!