Portret van Gottlieb Jakob Planck 1835

Editor: Here we have Heinrich Lödel's 1835 engraving, "Portrait of Gottlieb Jakob Planck". It’s created with very fine lines, almost like a photograph. What do you make of it? Curator: Well, let's consider the means of its production. This engraving is a multiple, a print. It's not a unique object, and that inherently speaks to accessibility, to a wider distribution of imagery and, consequently, ideas. What impact do you think that had on society at the time? Editor: It democratizes representation, perhaps? Instead of an oil painting reserved for the elite, more people could have an image of Planck. Curator: Precisely. And think about the labor involved. Engraving is a meticulous process. What does that suggest to you about the value placed on craftsmanship, the time dedicated to image making versus, say, the faster, looser approach in a sketch? The subject, Gottlieb Jakob Planck, was a prominent law professor, what is he wearing and how does this connect with the depicted era? Editor: He is wearing what looks like formal clothing and something that seems to be an Iron Cross? So this work seems very meticulous but with an intriguing purpose, and it made the professor’s portrait available for wider consumption. Curator: Absolutely, it underscores how art functioned not just aesthetically but socially, economically. The materiality, the production, those details shape our understanding of its cultural role. Considering the process and context has allowed us to learn about how its message might have been conveyed at the time.