Portret van Don Pedro de Acevedo 1650 - 1695

Editor: We are looking at “Portret van Don Pedro de Acevedo,” an engraving by Gaspar Bouttats dating from between 1650 and 1695, currently at the Rijksmuseum. The portrait bust in the center is surrounded by dramatically rendered figures. How do you interpret this work, considering its historical context? Curator: This engraving presents Don Pedro as a figure of power, certainly, but also raises questions about the cost of that power. The surrounding figures aren't merely decorative. Consider who Don Pedro de Acevedo was: a Spanish statesman, viceroy of Naples. Given this, we have to ask: who suffers and what is sacrificed for his image, for the political strength he represents? The figures look tortured. How can we view it through a postcolonial lens? Editor: I hadn’t considered it that way! It's easy to just see the glorious portrait and not think about the implications. So, you are saying the artist may be subtly critiquing Spanish rule? Curator: Perhaps "critiquing" is too strong a word, but certainly prompting us to *consider* the broader socio-political landscape. Who were the populations impacted by Don Pedro's decisions, and what do their stories tell? Look closer at each allegorical figure – who do you think they symbolize? Consider the political forces, and also systems of race and gender at the time, to question this portrait. Editor: That’s such an interesting perspective shift. I tend to focus on the aesthetic, the Baroque style. It's a good reminder to think critically about what is not being shown, and whose perspectives are missing in typical narratives around portraits like these. Curator: Exactly! It’s about using our contemporary understanding to interrogate history. What does this image tell us? And what does it purposefully conceal? We can engage with art to reflect on broader histories.