Reproductie van een prent van een portret van Jan de la Faille omringd door grotesken en een prent van een portret van Cornelia van der Capelle omringd door grotesken, door Hendrick Goltzius before 1880

Curator: Here we have a reproduction of a print created by Hendrick Goltzius. It features portraits of Jan de la Faille and Cornelia van der Capelle, both surrounded by grotesque ornamentation. It was made sometime before 1880, rendered in engraving on paper. What strikes you first? Editor: An almost austere quality despite the flourish. There’s such precise, concentrated work in the faces compared to the madcap energy of the grotesques...it's almost jarring, but compelling. Curator: The print medium itself speaks volumes. These were designed to circulate, to disseminate images of important figures widely and relatively inexpensively. Engravings democratized portraiture in a way. Editor: And the grotesques framing the subjects…it makes me think about the tension between personal identity and public presentation, then and now. Are they honoring the subjects or satirizing the very idea of celebrated individuals? I find it darkly funny. Curator: The grotesque elements are intriguing; you see those hybrid creatures, mixing human and animal forms. They were often employed in early modern art to denote chaos or the irrational, a counterpoint to the ordered, rational portrait within. The very act of printing allows that order to be repeatable for a specific purpose. Editor: Absolutely. Imagine the labor involved in cutting those tiny lines into the metal plate. Each one carefully considered, contributing to the overall effect and ultimately to how the portrayed were received across society. It brings the relationship between labor, tools, images and society into stark relief. Curator: Exactly! By reproducing this print in printed matter again the artist, unknown, is repeating that printing process thus doubling and highlighting the importance of accessibility of such items for wider education and insight. Editor: I’m left thinking about the way even serious portraiture can have an undercurrent of subversive humor and how material realities fundamentally alter what and how we create meaning. Thank you for illuminating such a layered work. Curator: My pleasure. I hope our discussion inspires further contemplation on these portraits, especially within the context of early modern printing and visual culture.