Hoofd van een man met hoed met pluimen, in profiel naar rechts 1650

Curator: We’re looking at "Head of a Man with Feathered Hat, in Profile to the Right," an engraving by Stefano della Bella, created around 1650. Editor: Immediately, I’m struck by the exuberance, that elaborate plume on his hat, and how that mass of feathers interacts with his facial features and stern profile. The very precise, yet frantic quality of the lines almost suggests anxiety. Curator: It's important to consider the era in which della Bella worked, deeply enmeshed within the theatre of the Baroque. Courtly portraiture, and the rise of celebrity portraits for consumption, dictated a visual language meant to project wealth and power. Della Bella uses printmaking to democratize access to that. Editor: I see what you mean. Considering that printmaking relied on relatively reproducible techniques, and this engraving highlights its material and its use. It really stands out within those historical and social confines. Curator: And what about the specific identity politics at play here? Consider how masculinity is constructed, in portraiture, particularly within military leadership. It certainly echoes how power was constructed and maintained by a certain demographic at that time. Editor: The technique fascinates me. Look closely at the quality of the lines themselves. Notice how he manages to create such depth with very economical means of mark-making. One must admire his ability to convey detail without ever really giving us details. Curator: The lack of specificity really enhances that almost performative identity, don’t you think? One reads “leader” more than “a particular man.” Editor: Agreed. The means by which Della Bella's marks make "leader" really is something else! It gets me thinking about the artist's own position as well – creating a product for widespread distribution versus the single, unique portrait. Curator: This work offers us a rich landscape to think about art’s complicated entanglement with issues of class, labor and power. Editor: Indeed, it shows us so clearly the material underpinnings of those cultural ideas and the systems through which that imagery gained power.