Portretbuste van Caspar Ziegler 1667 - 1709

Curator: Looking at this Baroque engraving, what immediately springs to mind for you? Editor: It has an interesting air of gravitas and formality— the weight of the era comes through, doesn't it? But, it seems like our sitter might be suppressing a smirk... perhaps a dash of satirical commentary in his gaze? Curator: Perhaps. We are observing here "Portretbuste van Caspar Ziegler," a work dating back to between 1667 and 1709, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. This engraving, created by Johann Christoph Boecklin, immortalizes Ziegler in a formal portrait bust. The baroque era really embraced the flamboyant wig! Editor: Yes, the wig. What power it symbolized back then, or maybe its power lay more in obscuring the real. We see how the ruling class marked its distance from the "everyday" folk through these very kinds of symbolic affectations and fashionable follies. It's not just a portrait, but a claim to power. Curator: It does prompt considerations about the social and political landscape. Do you see a narrative beyond representation in the print itself? Editor: Well, the man literally is put on a pedestal, inscribed with "Icon. Ziegler." He is raised above us, made an 'icon'. The crisp line work of the engraving only enhances that impression. Curator: In this artwork, Ziegler appears almost untouchable in his carefully rendered presentation. Editor: Engravings are incredible artifacts. Reproducible and thus able to reach a wider audience, they become powerful in encoding messages that spread across time and geography, even shaping perceptions generations later. Looking closer, there's real complexity here in how Ziegler’s image navigates between privilege, power, and personality. Curator: Indeed, his individuality flickers amidst the artifice, doesn't it? An intriguing artifact, speaking volumes about its historical and cultural contexts. Editor: Precisely. I'll certainly be turning these ideas around in my head long after this audio guide has concluded.