Portret van Willem V, prins van Oranje-Nassau 1745 - 1775

Curator: There's a rather melancholy aura around this portrait, isn't there? All muted tones, contained within that oval...makes you wonder what he's pondering. Editor: Indeed. We're looking at a print called "Portret van Willem V, prins van Oranje-Nassau" – or Portrait of William V, Prince of Orange-Nassau – an engraving by Richard Houston, dating from about 1745 to 1775, now residing here at the Rijksmuseum. Its baroque character, notably rendered in a monochromatic medium, yields rich details. Curator: Baroque... but drained of its usual opulence, wouldn't you say? The engraving’s detail captures the seriousness, that barely-there smile seems weighed down, like he's carrying the weight of the world, even though he was pretty young here. You almost feel bad for him, framed like that. Editor: Precisely. Consider the framing itself—the tondo, resting on a plinth, evokes classical sculpture. He is both immediate and aloof. And it functions on another level when we appreciate it as a print, we are getting a likeness of power, made available to the public in a serial form. Curator: That public display part is interesting. Maybe the severity wasn't just personal. Like this isn't just 'Willam being Willam,' this is carefully projecting leadership...Even that tiny glint in his eye is giving determined! And that little smirk feels strategic somehow. Like an early masterclass in statecraft! Editor: Indeed, we are invited to examine not only what is captured within the frame but the material and production of the frame itself. Note the artist credit to the left corner, the printsellers address below the sitter’s designation, and the engraver credit to the right. As a dissemination strategy for likenesses of nobility, the function and effectiveness is self-evident, it still evokes contemplation. Curator: Well, it worked, now I’m properly intrigued. There's an entire life unfolding in this seemingly straightforward image. Editor: A rather potent convergence of personality, form, and political necessity. A remarkable work, capturing the image of a ruler as something between artwork and artifact of a society's collective ambition.