Portret van Maurits van Anhalt-Dessau 1731 - 1788

Editor: So, this is "Portrait of Maurits van Anhalt-Dessau," a print made with metal engraving sometime between 1731 and 1788 by Johann Esaias Nilson. I'm struck by how much is going on – it feels like the chaos of battle is literally swirling around the very poised figure of Maurits on horseback. What captures your attention in this piece? Curator: It's interesting that you say 'swirling', because I almost get the opposite impression. Look at the precise lines, the almost obsessive detail. Nilson is creating a sense of controlled chaos, like a beautifully manicured garden trying to contain a jungle. Does the sternness of his gaze say something different when you place his steely confidence against the soldiers surrounding him? Editor: Definitely. There's this weird tension between order and disorder, especially the details like the decorative saddle blanket butting up against the fighting going on behind him. I suppose it asks, 'how much control can any leader have?'. It almost feels like a slightly cynical view of power. What would a print like this have *meant* to people at the time, do you think? Curator: I can almost imagine them pinning this up on their walls alongside other depictions of the heroic life. Perhaps to give them courage or the resolve for glory, too? It's easy to look at these prints with a modern eye, dissecting its subtleties, but to a contemporary audience, perhaps it was more about the raw representation of power and valor. Editor: It is amazing how much depth there is when you think about those earlier contexts and viewers. This tension makes it feel so contemporary! Curator: Absolutely. I feel that too. And thinking about his audience then is almost as relevant as thinking about us now, experiencing Nilson's work.