Mr. Morrett before 1867

Curator: Well now, here’s something intriguing. Before us, we have an image of "Mr. Morrett." A drawing, I believe, on paper and turned into a print at some point before 1867 and now at the Rijksmuseum. He looks quite… stern, wouldn’t you say? Almost like he’s peering into your very soul, though it’s rather faded with age and being bound in this book. What strikes you most about it, as a budding art historian? Editor: He does have an intensity about him, even in the print! I'm intrigued by the detail in his beard and cap versus the relative lack of definition in his clothing. How would you interpret the choice of medium and the detail in rendering "Mr. Morrett," Curator? Curator: The choice of a print is really quite curious. The immediacy of the artist’s hand in drawing offers an intimacy lost in more formal portraits, don’t you think? Especially combined with the history, one gets a distinct feeling that you might even be having tea with this rather stern and forbidding Renaissance figure in your favorite dream. The artist focused on the face to draw the viewers in, as it’s here the figure comes alive! What does the title tell us? Editor: That makes perfect sense! The title leads me to believe it might be a study or perhaps even a preparatory sketch for a larger painting. It’s fascinating to think of this level of detail going into what might have been a small part of a much grander scheme! Curator: Exactly! A delicious detail lost to time. That touch of informality adds such charm to an otherwise slightly intimidating fellow, doesn’t it? These hidden sketches are some of the most important works to uncover history. Editor: It certainly gives you a different perspective on art! I will have to study other informal sketches of this time. Thank you!