Portret van August Wilhelm von Braunschweig-Lüneburg 1730

Curator: My goodness, what a wig! It’s practically its own ecosystem up there. Editor: Indeed. We’re looking at a print from 1730 by John Faber II, titled "Portret van August Wilhelm von Braunschweig-Lüneburg." An impressive, formal affair. Curator: Formal is putting it mildly! I mean, the armor, the sash… it all screams, “Don’t mess with me, I own a very large estate.” And that subtle smile! What's he thinking, I wonder? Plots, dreams, maybe just what to have for dinner? Editor: He was, of course, Duke August Wilhelm, so considerable political power would have been expected. The piece speaks volumes about the performance of power and prestige in the Baroque era. How one was expected to present. That determined so much of social reality. Curator: Right. And Faber really captured it – that weighty expectation. Even in print, you feel it. It's strange, though, isn't it? Knowing this portrait probably shaped how people perceived him…maybe even more than reality did. What if he was a sweetheart who secretly collected stray kittens? Editor: Well, kittens might undermine the image somewhat. Consider, also, how prints like this circulated. This wasn't about individual, artistic genius in a gallery. Prints democratized imagery; Faber's work cemented a visual understanding of power across a wider social landscape. They were key to political imaging. Curator: That makes sense. Mass media of the 18th century, in a way. And here we are, still looking, still deciphering the signals sent across three centuries. Editor: Precisely. Images and their messages continue to exert a potent force, even now. A powerful, if indirect legacy, in itself. Curator: Gives you something to think about, doesn't it? Editor: It does, indeed. A small paper artwork with a large impact.