Portret van de Augustijn en kardinaal Bonaventura Bodoaro de Peraga 1636

Editor: So, here we have Cornelis Galle I’s engraving, "Portrait of the Augustinian Cardinal Bonaventura Bodoaro de Peraga" from 1636, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It has this austere, almost academic feel to it. What strikes you most about it? Curator: Well, immediately I'm drawn to the labor and materials involved in creating this print. Engraving requires immense skill and time, carving those fine lines into the metal. Consider, too, the paper itself – its source, the process of manufacture. It speaks to a specific kind of production and consumption during the Baroque period. How does this process challenge traditional boundaries between art and craft? Editor: That's interesting. I was so focused on the image itself. How does focusing on the material aspect change how we see the portrait’s purpose? Curator: It reframes the artwork as not just a representation of the Cardinal, but an object of value, a commodity reflecting social and economic structures. Notice how the frame is so ornate and almost decadent. Consider how this reflects both the Cardinal's power and the engraver’s need to cater to the tastes of a wealthy patronage network. This portrait becomes about power and production rather than just representation. What do you make of the textual inscription at the bottom? Editor: I suppose it reiterates that purpose…it reinforces the Cardinal's accomplishments, turning the print into something like a promotional piece? Curator: Precisely. It transforms the entire print into a form of social and material currency that serves both the subject and the artist. Editor: I hadn’t considered it in those terms before, seeing the engraving almost as a form of early advertising, its production tied to these social functions. Thank you for showing me this material lens, and for a wider, materialist reading of this engraving! Curator: Absolutely. Thinking about art this way opens up interesting perspectives beyond just aesthetic appreciation.