Portret van Johann Ernst von Pistoris von Seusslitz 1648

Curator: This image is an engraving from 1648 by Pieter de Jode II. It’s titled "Portret van Johann Ernst von Pistoris von Seusslitz," and it's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It’s striking how somber the man appears, almost melancholic. Despite the elaborate oval frame and the crest above his head, there's a sense of gravity to the portrait. Curator: It does capture a specific mood, doesn't it? The baroque style often sought to convey a depth of emotion. Look at how the engraver used hatching to create the illusion of shadow and light, really bringing out the texture in his velvet coat. But also notice the symbolic frame, "Fortuna Iuvat Virtutem", a saying implying that Fortune favors the brave or virtuous. Editor: I am interested by how printed portraiture of this kind helped construct ideas around nobility and power in the mid-17th century. I am also reminded that at that time these items weren’t simply personal mementos; instead they were produced and traded as a medium through which power relations were performed in both domestic and international politics. Curator: Indeed. Engravings such as this served to broadcast an image and reinforce a status, quite literally printing a lasting idea of authority. What does the intricate detail of the coats of arms convey to you? Editor: To me, that imagery speaks to lineage and legacy—visual anchors to an illustrious past but, importantly, also ambitions for the future. Every visual element serves the central purpose to establish identity. I imagine most viewers in that era would understand these heraldic emblems on a quite direct level. Curator: Absolutely. To see these repeated across a variety of artwork of this period implies the endurance and adaptation of older visual conventions in service to new social norms. Editor: Overall, this piece serves as a time capsule, presenting to modern audiences period aesthetics but also codes by which past power was exercised and visualized. It speaks volumes beyond the solemn depiction of an individual. Curator: Well, by investigating images and artifacts of our past like these, we are offered new methods of reflecting on ourselves.