Christen Thomesen Sehested 1655 - 1659

Curator: This engraving, "Christen Thomesen Sehested," created sometime between 1655 and 1659, is by Albert Haelwegh. The piece is currently held at the Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: He certainly has an air about him, doesn’t he? It's almost severe, yet softened by that wonderful moustache! The light etching feels rather precise. I can feel its delicacy as if the subject might shatter at any moment, almost ethereal. Curator: It is, fundamentally, a carefully constructed image of authority. Note the inscriptions at the base which directly attribute to him Illustrious and Magnificient titles, even identifying him as a knighted man, Chancellor and councilor. It serves to remind the viewer, both then and now, of Sehested's powerful position in Danish society. Editor: But does it really convey that now, or does it merely serve to immortalize vanity? The man becomes his station; and we struggle to know one without the other. Is that just me, or is there something a bit hollow about it? Curator: It speaks to the way societal standing was visualized and communicated in the Baroque period. This engraving wasn't just about likeness; it was about constructing and solidifying public persona within a very stratified society. The goal of a print like this, a reproducible artwork, was that it allowed his status to spread, be publicly visualized. Editor: And what of his gaze? He looks forward, yes, but there is a definite hint of melancholy there. I am not certain that I see any raw authority--more like a man weighted with burden, duty. Perhaps the public image wasn't quite as strong as the Baroque would like us to believe? Curator: That is, perhaps, part of the beauty of studying art objects such as this one centuries after they were created: they present us with a record of a very particular vision, but our role is to re-vision. Thank you. Editor: Always.