François Leidecker (1650-1718). Deputy of the Exchequer of Zeeland 1674

Curator: Oh, this one exudes understated power. I see in this portrait, created in 1674, an almost theatrical air of quiet confidence. Editor: Absolutely. We’re looking at a portrayal of François Leidecker, Deputy of the Exchequer of Zeeland. Painted during the Dutch Golden Age, it hints at the complexities of power, privilege, and identity during this period. Curator: The way his luxurious robe just grazes the balustrade…it almost feels like he's sharing a secret with us, doesn't it? And those windswept gardens in the background—very Caravaggesque, don't you think? Editor: Well, more generally baroque with a good hint of Dutch Golden Age aesthetics! That controlled wildness echoes the delicate balance of power he would have navigated in his role. He has that access and that comfort and you can feel it by the confidence he portrays. How can we deconstruct the system that makes a man like this possible? What is absent from this space that is worthy of acknowledgement? Curator: I'm captured by his hands, that deliberate placement resting on the ledge, yet almost pulling at his robe. He almost doesn’t quite meet our gaze. Editor: It's all intentional, and as always when wealth concentrates power in the hand of few it also requires performativity: in a culture increasingly shaped by trade and finance, the image of success and trustworthiness was critical. The subdued palette and precise brushstrokes create a sense of gravity, underscoring the weight of responsibility borne by someone in his position, of course as much as we see a display of opulence we might as well read it as social role, what one had to convey, whether one agreed with it or not, a sort of prison in disguise if I allow myself some poetic license. Curator: I can appreciate that! Maybe that is why that background felt to me like stage props as well? A social mask in the great theater of power? And with that we can even question ourselves nowadays… Who wears masks nowadays, and how? Editor: Precisely. We’ve moved into the digital era, yet many similar questions, although on other settings, still permeate how we navigate both private and professional lives.