Malik Ambar, regent van de Nizamshahi dynastie 1672

Editor: This engraving, made in 1672, is titled "Malik Ambar, regent van de Nizamshahi dynasty" and its artist is anonymous. The way it's printed gives the scene a crisp, almost storybook feel. What's your take on this work? Curator: For me, it is fundamentally about the colonial gaze shaping the means of production. This print wasn’t created in a vacuum. It speaks volumes about the consumption of the 'Orient' for a European audience. Think about the labour involved in both the depicted scene and the printing process. Editor: I see what you mean about labor. I hadn't considered the contrast between the portrayal of enslaved people in the scene and the engraver's own work. But how does that shape our understanding? Curator: It shifts the focus to the circulation of these images. This print becomes a commodity itself, contributing to a specific, marketable understanding of power dynamics between Europe and India. Look at the clothing, the textures that the engraver painstakingly created with what material? A metal plate. Why? Editor: Ah, the metal! It's about control and the dissemination of images... Almost a standardization. So it becomes less about Malik Ambar as a historical figure and more about... European influence. Curator: Precisely! We're not just looking at a portrait, but at the materials, the methods, and the market that made this portrayal possible, shaping perceptions and power. Editor: That's a powerful reframing. I’ll never look at an old print the same way again. Curator: Exactly. Always look at art through the lens of materials, labour, and systems of power. That gives it new life and fresh insights.