Portret van Johann Christian Wiegleb 1770 - 1800

Curator: The “Portret van Johann Christian Wiegleb” crafted sometime between 1770 and 1800 by Johann Carl Dornheim offers such a contained, almost…austere presentation. My first reaction is of a carefully cultivated reserve. Editor: That's exactly what strikes me too. We see this gentleman encased in a frame, which itself is set upon a frame! It speaks to how identities are constructed and mediated through symbols of status. Curator: Precisely! Encased is definitely the word. The engraver uses the medium—I mean, the work is created in engraving on paper—to create a powerful, authoritative figure. There’s so much detail rendered through the printmaking. Editor: The piece reflects the Neoclassical movement, with its emphasis on reason and order. But who was Wiegleb? Situating him is critical to reading the piece. Curator: Indeed, Johann Christian Wiegleb was a German chemist and pharmacist. Looking closer, the rendering makes me think he's stern but certainly well regarded. I'm particularly intrigued by his quizzical expression, just detectable in the profile. It suggests, what? Curiosity, or perhaps slight skepticism? Editor: Possibly, but his social and intellectual circles undoubtedly informed Dornheim's approach. The Enlightenment's valorization of science perhaps positioned Wiegleb as a public figure deserving of memorialization through portraiture. It wasn’t just about portraying a person, but about upholding values and beliefs of a community. Curator: Right! But even in what could be read as rigid and impersonal, Dornheim manages to capture… something quite intimate. There's character in the pursed lip, wisdom gathered at the corner of his eye. I'd imagine Herr Wiegleb had an occasional twinkle about him! Editor: Yes! That very personal twinkle is presented within an impersonal, public form of representation. He’s not just a man; he's an example of his class. What we perceive as a spark of the private, then, really emphasizes the contrast. It creates an incredibly strong dialogue between the individual and the collective, the inner self and the public image. Curator: Well put. I shall carry with me, beyond his achievements, a sense of mystery and perhaps a dash of irreverence… Editor: And I am left to ponder the systems that made this image possible: the cultural capital required to commission it, and the technology available to make this memory last centuries. A tiny frame telling grand stories!