Christopher Parsberg 1665 - 1670

Editor: This portrait of Christopher Parsberg, dating from around 1665-1670, is attributed to Albert Haelwegh. It's a striking engraving! I am curious about the detailed rendering. What's your take on this piece? Curator: Well, focusing on the materiality and production, it is clear this work speaks volumes about labor and class. The subject's status is broadcasted through meticulous rendering. Editor: You mean the wig? Curator: Precisely. Consider the labour needed to create and maintain such a wig, its function as a commodity signifying wealth. Look closely at the engraving. The wig's texture – the way Haelwegh translates hair into a network of lines – mirrors the burgeoning textile industry. Think about the global trade networks and artisanal skills intersecting in that singular fashionable item. Don’t you think? Editor: Yes, the link to global trade and craft production really puts the portrait in perspective. The wig itself becomes a symbol of complex material realities. It's no longer *just* a wig. Curator: It represents networks of power. Even the print medium itself – consider the artist, the engraver, the printing press, each laborer in this image-making industry. Dissemination of the image contributes to construction of fame and status, creating almost a commodity from Parsberg. How different would we view Parsberg, if, for example, this image had been etched in wood, rather than engraved? Editor: I never really considered all the craftspeople involved! Thinking about art this way offers such a rich understanding. Thanks. Curator: Glad to bring that into perspective! There are different interpretations depending on your view, after all.