Half-Length Portrait Study of a Woman Wearing a Cap and Pearl Earrings 1735 - 1765

Curator: Here we have a remarkable portrait study by Joseph van Aken, dating from somewhere between 1735 and 1765. It's called "Half-Length Portrait Study of a Woman Wearing a Cap and Pearl Earrings." Notice the delicate use of pencil and charcoal. Editor: Mmm, ghostly, almost! It reminds me of seeing faces in clouds, or figures half-remembered. The grey tones give it this sense of being just out of reach. Is she smiling? Curator: I can see why you say that. There’s a certain ephemeral quality to it, heightened perhaps by the unfinished state. And those pearl earrings and the lace, typical adornments of the Rococo period, could easily signify refinement and delicate beauty, even privilege, of course. Editor: Absolutely, those symbols are there, the class markers! But, for me, the artist captures a very subtle human presence beneath it all. The eyes look weary, as though posing for a portrait is taking more of a toll on the sitter than we know! Or am I just projecting my own fatigue? Curator: Perhaps both? Consider the gridlines visible beneath the image – faint but definitely present. These are the foundations of the image. They're indicative of a transfer process; they point toward artistic intention. In essence, Van Aken is mapping the face with symbols, and by doing that, also building an ideal, the ideal features from a time, and class. Editor: That's it! The mask. Beautiful, ornamental… a cage, almost. It strikes me that it captures a feeling so many of us know, the feeling of being watched and evaluated. She knows her worth resides in how others perceive her. Very melancholy, isn’t it, that realization? Curator: A melancholy reflection, certainly, but one brought to life so beautifully through these dry media. Even incomplete, or perhaps especially incomplete, it speaks volumes about not just the sitter but the societal constructs framing her world. Editor: Indeed! Van Aken might just have inadvertently shown us what lies beneath the satin and pearls... vulnerability. That is more valuable than gold.