Portret van Laurens Jansz. Coster c. 1720 - 1774

Editor: This is a portrait of Laurens Jansz. Coster, rendered as an engraving in ink on paper. It dates from somewhere around 1720 to 1774. It has an antiquated feel. What strikes you about this particular portrayal? Curator: What interests me most is the way this image participates in the construction of national identity. Coster was believed to be the inventor of printing in the Netherlands. This print wasn't made during his lifetime. Consider when it WAS made – in the 18th century during a time of increasing national consciousness. It visually connects this Dutch figure to innovation and learning. Editor: So you’re saying the print isn’t just a portrait, it's part of building a national myth? Curator: Exactly. And it's crucial to consider how this myth circulates. Who was meant to see this? Was it part of a larger publication? Was it displayed in a public space? These details determine the political impact of the image. The choice of print, specifically engraving, also speaks to ideals of replicability and democratization of knowledge that were associated with printing itself. How do you read the artist's choice of style in relation to its subject and historical moment? Editor: The style is pretty rough, almost crude. I would have expected a more refined image, to give the subject more stature! Curator: And that rawness contributes, ironically, to an image of authentic "Dutch" virtue – honest, unpretentious. Remember, images always operate within a specific social and political landscape. Editor: That's a good point. I was focusing too much on just the person in the image, not what the image was trying to do! Curator: Context always changes the content! Now that we've had this chat, maybe we can think of who next produced or viewed this engraving and ask what that tells us about its history? Editor: Yes, I see that analyzing art within a social framework gives me so much more to work with.