Christian V 1646 - 1682

Editor: Standing here at the SMK, we’re looking at Abraham Wuchters’ portrait of Christian V, dating somewhere between 1646 and 1682. There's something surprisingly vulnerable in his gaze, considering he was a king. It feels quite different from the grandiose Baroque style that the portrait suggests. What do you make of that apparent contradiction? Curator: Ah, yes, Christian! It’s hard to look past the, shall we say, *robust* features that Wuchters rendered with such, ahem, commitment. Perhaps Wuchters captured a certain weariness beneath the wig and lace. Kings, you know, aren't always having the most fun. They grapple with earthly duties like taxation. Makes one’s royal stomach turn, doesn’t it? And history! How does the king’s story, how the story comes down to us now through portraiture, reflect its time period, the individual? Do you feel it shows strength or fatigue in his expression? Editor: Definitely fatigue. I mean, that lace collar looks incredibly uncomfortable. It also has me thinking about portraiture’s role then. Was it always about projecting power, or could artists sneak in some personality, some *truth*? Curator: Sneak! Love that word. I imagine they felt they had to a bit. There was certainly pressure to flatter the sitter, especially royal ones, but an artist worth their salt always tries to say something deeper, something perhaps *just* under the surface. Imagine trying to please someone who could have you thrown in the dungeons for an unflattering portrait! One hopes that if, say, a double chin was added or removed here and there, the essentials were kept—personality, complexity. We, of course, add so much *ourselves* in how we read an artwork. Editor: That’s fascinating, the power dynamic and the dance between representation and reality. I'll never look at a royal portrait the same way again! Curator: Nor should you! Isn't that marvelous? And it is why these relics hold such a strong, enduring fascination.