Portretten van Laurens Jansz. Coster, Hugo van der Goes en Albrecht Dürer 1764

Editor: This engraving from 1764 by Jan l' Admiral is titled "Portretten van Laurens Jansz. Coster, Hugo van der Goes en Albrecht Dürer", or "Portraits of Laurens Jansz. Coster, Hugo van der Goes and Albrecht Dürer." It’s a very interesting composition with three portraits, two that are clearly "real" and another presented as an artwork-within-an-artwork. What jumps out at you when you see this? Curator: What strikes me is the way this print engages in a conversation about artistic legacy and national identity. These are portraits *of* portraits, and of artists celebrated within a specific cultural context. The very act of assembling these figures – a printer, painters – asks us to consider who gets remembered, and how those narratives are constructed. Do you notice how they all seem to wear similar hats, creating visual commonality between them? Editor: Yes, it definitely creates a visual connection. The portraits on top almost look like a painting while the bottom one is drawn on a loose paper. Do you think that also has symbolic value? Curator: Absolutely. This work makes me think about labor and its role within the context of artistic creation and social identity. The loose drawing, contrasted with the finished look of the other two, gestures to a hierarchy between artistic practices. Which kind is worth reproducing and remembering in the same picture? Moreover, let's think about the context. Who commissioned or bought this? How does it reinforce power structures within art history? What’s being excluded here? Editor: That’s a great point. Now, when I look at the drawing I wonder who its creator was. Did the artist deliberately leave him uncredited? Is it a reflection of that power structure in the art world you mentioned? Curator: Exactly. The print seems to perpetuate a certain kind of myth-making, one that may have sidelined the contributions of other people from the margins of history. Food for thought! Editor: This has definitely given me a different perspective. Thank you for drawing attention to the narratives being constructed within art. Curator: It’s been a pleasure to unpack the image with you! Thinking about the layers of history always gives new dimensions to what seems straightforward at first glance.