Charles Macklin as Shylock c. 1768

Editor: Here we have Johan Zoffany's "Charles Macklin as Shylock," an oil on canvas painting. The theatrical lighting really catches my eye. What can you tell me about the social context surrounding this painting? Curator: The materials themselves are revealing. Oil paint, the canvas support – these signal a patron with means. Theater, too, was becoming a commodity. Consider the labor involved, from pigment production to the actor’s craft, all contributing to this staged moment and its consumption. Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't thought about theater as a form of commodity. Curator: Exactly! And Zoffany capturing this precise performance—the production of identity, if you will—adds another layer to the material and social exchange. It prompts us to question the very idea of authenticity on stage and in society. Editor: That really changes how I see the painting, thinking about it as a record of a cultural exchange. Curator: Indeed. Considering the materials and their social lives opens up new avenues for interpreting art.