Portret van Frederik V van de Palts 1609 - 1686

Editor: So, this is a print called "Portret van Frederik V van de Palts," dating sometime between 1609 and 1686, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. The artist is Dirk Eversen Lons. It's done as an engraving, so the level of detail is just amazing. The first thing that strikes me is how formal and, I don't know, maybe a little severe it feels. All that text packed in, those layers of clothing…What's your read on it? Curator: Severe, perhaps. But look closer at the swirl of the hair, that slightly smug almost ironic gaze… He’s projecting power, absolutely, but in a decidedly theatrical way, wouldn't you say? It's interesting that Lons, who was actually a calligrapher first and foremost, is embedding such graphic details as the bold flourishes withing the confines of such a rigid artform. The lettering itself practically screams status and prestige! Do you get a sense of that Baroque swagger coming through? Editor: Yeah, I see what you mean now. I was so focused on the, what did you call it, *rigidity* of it that I almost missed the flamboyance in the details. And the text—I hadn't really considered how much calligraphy can influence a portrait, or vice versa. It is much more performative than a contemporary photograph. What do you take away from all this? Curator: Right? I guess it reminds me that even seemingly straightforward portraits are really constructed performances. They aren't capturing a "real" moment as much as constructing an image and playing with a role. Maybe, it speaks to the whole charade that being in a Royal Family requires of it's members. The performance can consume their life. Editor: I guess, even within rules, we can see that individuality breaking through! Thanks, I learned a lot about thinking of performance.