Portretmedaillon in marmer van Johannes Christoffer Mittscherlich 1785

Curator: Immediately, there’s a certain vulnerability emanating from this marble portrait. It feels so…soft. Editor: It is rather lovely. We're looking at a marble portrait medallion of Christoffel Mittscherlich, dating back to 1785. What do you notice about its materiality and fabrication? Curator: Well, the very choice of marble, its coolness and smoothness, contrasts beautifully with the subject: a very young child. Marble, of course, suggests permanence, status. And placing it within that ornate gilt frame heightens the contrast even further. Who would have commissioned this piece, and for what purpose? Was this an ostentatious display of wealth, or something more sentimental? Editor: Indeed. The use of marble ties it strongly to the Neoclassical movement, harkening back to the ideals of classical antiquity – a style often favored by the wealthy elite. The skill in carving the delicate details of the child's clothing and features is certainly remarkable, demonstrating the hand of a master craftsman. How do you view the relationship between material and representation here? Curator: For me, the artist's labour is foregrounded by such painstaking detail. One can't help but consider the workshop environment in which this was produced, the social standing of the marble carvers who possessed the highly coveted ability to transform raw materials into enduring objects of commemoration. In this case, however, what labor and artistry, but also to record childhood. Editor: Yes, I see that too, though my mind drifts toward compositional arrangement; notice how the artist has deftly rendered the figure in such shallow relief. This accentuates the purity of line, and how light interacts across its smooth surfaces. The use of dark fabric as backdrop draws your gaze, doesn't it? What about the work's effect? Curator: I think, it underscores the sentimental quality inherent in many commissioned works of the late 18th century, reminding me how artistic production frequently mirrors existing socio-economic stratification and that access to artmaking—or one’s likeliness represented in art—are frequently commodities in themselves. Editor: I appreciate that perspective! It certainly gives another dimension to what seems, on its face, to be a work invested in sentimental portraiture, and highlights the artistic, and labor value assigned to such a delicate marble artefact.