Portret van René van Châlon, prins van Oranje 1689

Editor: Here we have a print from 1689, "Portret van René van Châlon, prins van Oranje" or Portrait of René of Chalon, Prince of Orange. It's an engraving by Jonas Suyderhoef, and I’m immediately drawn to the subject's very direct gaze, even in profile. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: The gaze does grip you, doesn’t it? For me, it's the meticulous detail achieved through engraving. Imagine the hand that created those thousands of tiny lines! You know, portraiture in this era was all about projecting power and status. But the delicate rendering softens that authority somehow, doesn’t it? Do you feel the Baroque drama attempting to burst forth, yet it's contained by the very nature of the medium? Editor: Absolutely! The Baroque flair is definitely muted compared to what I typically associate with that style. There's a stillness that almost feels… contemporary? Curator: Intriguing thought. Perhaps that timeless quality stems from the very human desire to be remembered, rendered flawlessly, across centuries. See how the oval frame, adorned with leaves and oranges – a symbol of his principality, attempts to elevate him. Yet the prince himself, in profile, remains somewhat aloof. Almost as if to say, "I am, who I am, frame or no frame." What a paradox, eh? Editor: It's almost as if he’s resisting the very pomp he's meant to embody. I never thought of engravings having that sort of nuance. Curator: They whisper stories, if you listen closely. Today, what story will we whisper?