Magdalene Charlotte Schimmelmann, née Schubart 1798 - 1801

Curator: So delicate! At first glance, it's a wisp of a thing. The scale is so intimate. Editor: Indeed. What we have here is a miniature portrait of Magdalene Charlotte Schimmelmann, née Schubart, completed between 1798 and 1801. It is the work of Cornelius Høyer, currently held at the SMK, the Statens Museum for Kunst. It appears to be painted primarily with watercolors. Curator: Watercolors. That makes perfect sense; it practically melts on the surface. She has this very sweet expression—slightly melancholy, wouldn't you say? There's something very gentle in the brushwork and coloring. Editor: The application of neoclassical ideals is evident. The simplicity of her garments, the clear light, and the composition are all meant to evoke a sense of serene virtue. We see a movement away from the frivolity of the Rococo era towards a more rational aesthetic. Look closely at how the painter emphasizes the clear, uncluttered line. Curator: You see reason; I see romantic longing. She is there, caught between worlds, neither exuberantly Rococo, nor quite severely neoclassical. She's her own woman in a tiny golden world. The cool blues and soft whites against that warm-toned frame—there's something so comforting. What do you make of her gaze? Editor: The directness of it is indeed striking, avoiding idealization in favor of capturing the individuality of the subject. Her gaze becomes the central point of access to the image. It seems Høyer sought to distill character and intellect. Curator: And did he succeed? She has stories swirling within. Looking at this portrait, I imagine whispered secrets, clandestine meetings, and maybe even a broken heart. It all lurks behind that very proper facade, you know? Editor: It's interesting how our subjective projections overlay the historical construction within the portrait. In a way, she's not just Magdalene Charlotte Schimmelmann but also a mirror reflecting our own preoccupations with the past. Curator: Exactly! And isn't that why we keep gazing? She gives us something real amidst all of the carefully rendered… lines, as you called them. Editor: So, within a circumscribed format and guided by aesthetic conventions, something genuinely affecting can arise. Curator: Here's to unexpected humanity thriving within the gilded frames.