Portret van een man met horloge in de rechterhand 1780

Curator: Standing before us is "Portret van een man met horloge in de rechterhand," a drawing created around 1780 by Jan Gerard Waldorp. It's currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. I must say, what jumps out at me immediately is the subtle melancholy emanating from the subject's eyes and the gentle rendering of his beard, all in pencil. Editor: Oh, absolutely, that slight droop in his eyes speaks volumes! To me, the watch becomes more than a mere accessory. It's like an early version of a memento mori—a visual reminder of mortality and the fleeting nature of time itself. Waldorp captures something deeply human here. The watch symbolizes time, but the face shows the effects of its passage. Curator: Exactly, the pocket watch feels so deliberate in this portrayal. The period of neoclassicism often emphasized rationalism, order and measured clarity, and that watch really underscores it, quite literally measuring time as it does! Perhaps there's also something deeply personal we can take from that... the preciousness of fleeting moments. Editor: Oh, certainly! Before we became slaves to digital time displays everywhere we look. Imagine the intimacy of holding this ornate piece in one’s hand. Also, considering the portrait as a whole, there’s an understated psychological weight, do you agree? That subtle play of light and shadow and all these textural nuances – from his furrows to the delicacy of his lace collar - amplify the sensation of mortality and change. The eyes also point towards the Dutch master painter, Rembrandt! What do you think? Curator: That's it... I'm starting to see it myself... that quiet, almost pleading vulnerability Rembrandt knew how to draw out... Editor: A certain emotional truthfulness! And one more point… consider what portraiture at this moment also does for a patron. If we didn’t have photos for loved ones at all times like now, this artwork functions almost as a sentimental locket might... As if, despite the cool and austere neoclassical trend, Waldorp allowed a glimpse into genuine warmth, and that pocket watch may indeed point us beyond reason, past rationality, straight toward remembering.