Portret van Maria II Stuart c. 1688 - 1731

Curator: Pieter van Gunst created this piece, "Portret van Maria II Stuart," sometime between 1688 and 1731. The Rijksmuseum houses this Baroque portrait, an engraving. What strikes you first? Editor: The meticulous detail, certainly. There's a strong sense of idealized regality rendered with very clean, controlled lines. The contrast between the ornate laurel and ribbons surrounding her bust with the textured background almost amplifies the texture of her furs. Curator: It's intriguing how reproductive technologies, like engravings, disseminated and standardized royal imagery. The print medium makes it repeatable and, therefore, plays into the image and construction of power. These images became objects of consumption in their own right. Editor: Yes, and observe how Van Gunst uses linear perspective and shadow to give volume to what is, ultimately, a two-dimensional work. Consider also the symmetrical balance of the overall composition. Even the inscriptions below are framed so that our eye never drifts outside its defined borders. Curator: Absolutely. This portrait participated in the socio-political life. These types of engravings functioned almost as state propaganda through careful management, mass distribution and sale to the bourgeois public, promoting ideas about monarchy. We're far from today’s high-resolution media, but then as now, these portraits bolstered status through carefully curated visuals that are widely available. Editor: The subtle tonal gradations created through the engraving process do an outstanding job describing not only form, but texture, especially in the ermine trim. Note how the oval form accentuates her figure within the whole. Van Gunst shows an expert control of line to articulate her social standing, as well as her character. Curator: Understanding these artworks involves grappling with both their artistic merit and how these printed images shaped historical narratives and the construction of identity, touching diverse sectors of society at various economic levels. Editor: Examining its structure certainly deepens one's insight, but recognizing the art's wider societal effect shows a grander view. Thank you for revealing so much.