Portret van een oude man met baard en hoed 1713 - 1763

Editor: This is "Portret van een oude man met baard en hoed" (Portrait of an Old Man with Beard and Hat) an engraving by Jean Daullé, dating from around 1713 to 1763, here on display at the Rijksmuseum. The subject looks so weary, and the detail captured through engraving is really incredible. What stands out to you? Curator: The image really speaks to the socio-economic status often associated with the wearing of such extravagant and pompous garbs; there is almost a caricature. The detailed rendering seems less about individual character and more about conveying power. How does his age, and your reaction to it, inform your reading? Editor: That's a great question! I hadn't really thought of the element of power associated with age in portraiture of the time. Curator: Consider, too, the historical context of printmaking in this era. Who was commissioning these works, and for what purpose? This wasn't just about art for art's sake, but about communicating a certain narrative to a specific audience. The prints could reproduce an existing painting for example, allowing access to those who did not belong to elite circles that saw the real one. Do you see it as more historical document, political statement, or art? Editor: Maybe it's all three. The fact that it's a print makes it feel almost like propaganda, as opposed to other more subtle aristocratic paintings of the Baroque. Curator: Exactly! Thinking about the ways art functions as a vehicle for disseminating ideas is so essential. Hopefully now more museum goers may recognise it for those elements and contexts.