Portret van Johann Christoph von Uffenbach 1643 - 1672

Editor: Here we have "Portret van Johann Christoph von Uffenbach," an engraving made sometime between 1643 and 1672 by Matthias van Sommer. It's very ornate, quite striking in its detail given the medium. What elements of this engraving do you find most compelling? Curator: It is tempting to only see the face of the man. But I think that looking at this, we should ask ourselves what labor, what modes of production, had to happen to even create this image. Consider the metal plate required for this engraving – the mining, smelting, the crafting into a printing plate, all invisible but essential to its creation. Do you see how the engraver's skill transforms base metal into a portrait meant to convey status? Editor: I do now that you point it out! I was so focused on the man portrayed and the artistry of the image itself that I hadn't thought about the raw materials and craftsmanship behind the engraving. It almost feels…industrial in a way, thinking about it. Curator: Exactly! And look closely at the clothing, the wig. These are also manufactured items, objects of consumption that denote wealth and status. How does the artist use the medium of engraving, the very *materiality* of the work, to highlight and participate in this cycle of production and display? Is it a celebration or a critique? Editor: I think I understand better. It’s not just about what is depicted, but the story of *how* it’s depicted, and how the means of production reflects the subject and the culture surrounding it. It makes you wonder how much Matthias van Sommer, or even von Uffenbach, considered that aspect. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure. Consider how this detailed engraving, accessible via printed images, contributes to the subject's self-fashioning and public persona, further blurring the line between artistic creation and material culture.