Portret van Simon Auguste André David Tissot 1759 - 1815

Editor: Here we have a print dating between 1759 and 1815 by Heinrich Pfenninger, entitled "Portret van Simon Auguste André David Tissot." It's a monochrome engraving of a man in profile, encased in an oval frame. I’m struck by how stern the subject looks. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Yes, an engraving, precise and contained! This brings me back to dusty libraries, riffling through aged tomes! He's facing away, almost as if lost in thought… Or perhaps politely refusing to engage? Tell me, what is the effect of the stark monochrome, the etching against stark ground? Editor: It makes it feel serious and… historical. Less personal, maybe? Curator: Precisely. Think of it. The Baroque period emphasizing grandeur, and realism valuing fidelity. And portraiture immortalizing likeness! Each line meticulously carved – the artist acts less as emotional interpreter and more as… recorder. What’s recorded? An intellectual face, the serious eyes – doesn't that suggest the values of his time, the Enlightenment perhaps? Editor: Definitely. So it's less about revealing the inner person and more about presenting an ideal? Curator: Ideally put! Maybe the key to his heart truly *is* through reason! Don't you wonder about him? Who was he? What debates consumed him? Ah, to slip into his periwig! Editor: That gives me a lot to think about. I never considered the process of engraving and the historical context would make so much impact. Curator: Wonderful! Now go, young grasshopper, and question *everything*!