Portret van Hieronymus Wilhelm Ebner von Eschenbach 1744

Editor: Here we have "Portrait of Hieronymus Wilhelm Ebner von Eschenbach," a 1744 engraving by Johann Wilhelm Windter, currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. There's something quite austere about the man’s profile, set within this elaborate, almost Baroque frame. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This engraving presents us with a lens through which to examine 18th-century notions of power, identity, and the construction of the male gaze. Look at the Latin inscription. It positions Ebner as a counselor, administrator, and family man, essential roles in the socio-political hierarchy of the time. What does the formality and classical allusion evoke for you? Editor: A sense of established, unquestioned authority. It’s almost like the engraving is declaring his worth. Curator: Precisely. And we can analyze this further through a feminist lens, for instance, by considering who was excluded from such depictions of power. Think about the absence of women or marginalized groups in these dominant historical narratives. Whose stories were deemed unworthy of memorialization? Editor: So, the artwork, while seemingly straightforward, is actually steeped in layers of social and political implications. Curator: Exactly. By interrogating these seemingly benign portraits, we begin to unpack the power structures they uphold and the voices they silence. We see it’s not just about one man’s likeness but a broader commentary on who gets to be remembered and why. Does this shift your initial interpretation? Editor: It really does. I initially saw just a historical portrait, but now I understand how it reflects larger systems of power and exclusion, something that continues to affect representation today. Curator: And that is how we activate these older works! We hold them in dialogue with contemporary issues.