Portret van Johann Michael von Loën 1752

Curator: At first glance, there's a certain theatrical flair, don’t you think? A powdered wig, a dramatic flourish of fabric…almost like he’s about to burst into song! Editor: Indeed! We're observing Johann Martin Bernigeroth's engraving "Portret van Johann Michael von Loën," dating back to 1752. Part of the Rijksmuseum collection, this piece captures its subject through the intricate art of printmaking on paper. Note how the composition reinforces the aristocratic character of the subject: the subject framed against architecture on one side, nature on the other... Curator: Ah, printmaking – all those tiny lines building up an image. Must’ve taken ages! You can almost smell the ink and paper... Though tell me, does anyone really *pose* like that anymore? Elbow cocked just so. He clearly wants us to admire his fine attire, as well as the beautiful rings adorning his fingers. Editor: The engraver has certainly given much thought to creating contrasts in values of light and shade through hatching, a typical aspect of the Baroque aesthetic. The rich fabrics, like the velvet of the vest, serve to signal his prestige as a well-traveled diplomat and an important man of letters of the German Enlightenment. What do you read from this man's direct gaze and composed features? Curator: Well, he seems…incredibly confident, if a bit pleased with himself. Like he’s just told the best joke at court. Maybe a *little* intimidating. But in a charming way. He dares us to judge. Editor: It's true the sharp lines around the eyes capture him as clever and intelligent! This particular rendering employs symbolic positioning – framing his subject between classical architecture and nature’s wilder elements -- a visualization perhaps intended to denote his place in the order of things. Curator: Fascinating how a single image can contain so much history, so many layers! Looking at his vest... I wonder what music was popular back then? What a life he must have led. Editor: Absolutely. And perhaps by noticing the texture, the artistry, the meticulous details, we are indeed capturing some whisper of the man and the zeitgeist from centuries past.