Portret van Bartholomeus Spranger 1670 - 1724

Editor: Here we have Jacob Gole’s “Portret van Bartholomeus Spranger,” made sometime between 1670 and 1724. It’s an engraving and etching, so a print, really, from the Dutch Golden Age. It has this rather somber mood, but it's also incredibly detailed. What can you tell us about this piece, looking at it through a material lens? Curator: The magic here is in the labour. Think about the repetitive, skilled hand-work required to create the etching and engraving plates. The burin’s mark, multiplied across what must have been a considerable print run. The act of making many copies transforms the image from precious object to commodity, reproducible for mass consumption. Consider the ruff: it's not just ornamentation; it's an elaborate feat of textile production. Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't considered it in terms of labor so much. So, you’re thinking about this as part of a larger system of production, almost like a… factory? Curator: Exactly! How were the raw materials for the ink and paper acquired? Who were the printers pulling these sheets, and under what conditions? Who purchased this image, and how did they use it? Portrait prints like this became ways of signaling class identity through displaying signifiers of taste. Line work itself creates form but only due to a long supply chain. Editor: It's easy to forget all that, looking at it now behind glass in a museum. To think it used to be, in some ways, almost disposable. Curator: That tension between precious object and mass-produced item makes it incredibly compelling. We are separated from its origin but it is a product deeply rooted in social conditions. Editor: Seeing this engraving not just as a portrait, but as a product of complex social and economic forces really opens my eyes. Thanks for sharing your perspective.