Jonas Witsen, Burgemeester der Stad Amsterdam 1749

Curator: Well, hello there! Today, we’re diving into an interesting engraving titled "Jonas Witsen, Burgemeester der Stad Amsterdam." It's from 1749, by Jacob Houbraken, a meticulous portraitist. You can find it residing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: Instantly, I’m struck by this feeling of…contained authority. The oval frame within the rectangle, it’s all so rigid and hierarchical. The meticulousness is almost suffocating. Curator: Ah, “suffocating” is an interesting choice! Tell me more about that, considering it's an era so focused on projecting strength and stability. Editor: It’s in the very texture! The sheer number of etched lines… each stroke trying to capture every nuance. You’re seeing craft for craft’s sake rather than life, wouldn't you say? It has that Baroque quality to it, I agree, but Baroque with an added layer of Northern… reservedness. Curator: That reminds me of the subject of the portrait. Jonas Witsen was more than just any mayor, he was part of the powerful Witsen family. They held sway in Amsterdam for decades. Look how carefully the artist handles the fall of light across Witsen's face, there's an attempt to project the man's essence. Editor: And yet, he remains eternally flattened to the print. Look at the frame: it attempts to lift Witsen off the page but does so only by calling more attention to its own materiality. It all screams performance. Curator: Perhaps it's that "performance" aspect that gives it its strength, in a way? Think about it, these prints would have been widely distributed. Everyone would know what Mayor Witsen looked like. The precision helped immortalize him! Editor: I concede. The controlled line-work, the deliberate framing, perhaps that's what gives this portrait its endurance— it reflects, in itself, the governing style of Witsen's Amsterdam. Curator: Indeed. A fascinating slice of Dutch power presented for us in lines and shading. Editor: Yes. There’s definitely a lot to digest here… far beyond just its surface appearance.