Pruikenmaker Possibly 1772 - 1833

Curator: Welcome! We're standing before "Pruikenmaker," a fascinating engraving and drawing attributed to Mathias de Sallieth, dating back to sometime between 1772 and 1833. It's a snapshot of everyday life, currently housed right here in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first impression is that there's a fascinating dichotomy happening. It feels intimate, like a scene plucked from life, yet there's also an undeniable rigidity to the line work that holds me at a distance. Curator: Precisely. Genre scenes like these became increasingly popular as a rising middle class sought representations of their own world. Prints like this circulated widely, reflecting and shaping societal values and aspirations regarding labor. The wig maker, a symbol of status. Editor: Look at how meticulously Sallieth captures the texture of the wigs and the tools of the trade. The contrasts are sharp; a wonderful demonstration of value. Note how he is centered in a dynamic pose versus the static posture of his apparent customer on the right of the image. Curator: He understood his audience well, no? The wigs themselves weren't merely fashion statements, they were political statements too, denoting allegiance and status in a rigid society. Here we see that very relationship on display with his assistant off to the side. Editor: I also detect a self-conscious theatricality, which underscores their construction. Notice how the artist carefully organized the tools. There's an intentional framing; consider the two boxes that allow us to easily grasp his business and trade, yet remain in their place thanks to how Mathias ordered the presentation of it. Curator: This is a telling window into a society grappling with shifts in social standing, reflected and mediated by these ever-present artifacts, the wigs themselves! Editor: Looking closer, there's more than just accurate visual reportage. Curator: Agreed, a reflection of the growing cultural centrality of commerce itself. An insight into a society transforming its sense of worth, in essence!