Portret van Marie de Rohan 1726 - 1764

Editor: So, here we have Jean-Joseph Balechou’s "Portret van Marie de Rohan," an engraving from sometime between 1726 and 1764. There's a stark elegance to the portrait, a formality that feels very much of its time. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: What interests me immediately is the method of production: engraving. It's not merely a representational tool; it is a practice deeply embedded in the socioeconomic conditions of its time. Consider the engraver, Balechou, his labor, his skill as a craftsman, and the function this image served in the market for reproducible images. Was this about memorializing the subject, or disseminating an idea of aristocratic power? Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn’t thought about it as a commodity. Do you think the choice of engraving was purely economic or did it also influence how Marie de Rohan was perceived? Curator: Absolutely. Engraving enabled mass production, making the image accessible to a wider audience. But consider, too, the materiality of the print: paper, ink, the pressure of the plate on the page. These elements convey not just the likeness of Marie de Rohan, but a certain understanding of the systems within which she lived. It flattens the complexities, to promote a persona, and disseminate it widely for various means of consumption. Editor: So, the engraving, through its material presence and mode of production, is actively shaping our understanding of the subject, not just reflecting it? Curator: Precisely. It's a manufactured representation, designed for consumption and reflective of specific socio-economic conditions and power dynamics. It makes us question the nature of representation and the construction of fame in the 18th century. Editor: I never would have looked at it that way. This makes me realize how much the method influences our perception. Curator: Exactly. And that interplay is key to a materialist reading of art history.