Portret van Willem III, koning der Nederlanden 1849 - 1899

Editor: Here we have a portrait of Willem III, King of the Netherlands. It's an engraving, so a print, and the date is somewhere between 1849 and 1899. The artist is listed as Monogrammist SGAP. I'm struck by how this medium, an engraving, was likely mass-produced. What's your take? Curator: I see the convergence of power and printmaking. Engravings like these facilitated the dissemination of the king's image, turning him into a commodity for consumption. Think about the labor involved in creating these multiple impressions, a labor that's often unseen, subsumed under the umbrella of "royal portraiture." How does the reproducibility alter our perception of this historical figure? Editor: That's interesting, making me think about accessibility and audience. This print allowed more people to potentially have access to the King’s image, not just the wealthy who could commission painted portraits. Would the original intent be propaganda of some kind? Curator: Potentially. Consider how this image, multiplied and circulated, served a social function. It’s about constructing and reinforcing the idea of kingship, creating a visual language of authority and power distributed through a specific medium. What is the economic function of printmaking, here? Editor: Good point! I hadn’t thought of the economics. The artist could reproduce the work and sell more of them; images were becoming more and more affordable. Were these often included in newspapers perhaps? Curator: Precisely. Also consider that in a pre-photographic age, these engravings fulfilled a crucial need for visual representation, acting almost like a form of early mass media. This piece speaks volumes about production and the market it occupied. This type of print creates another form of labor because someone has to deliver the work; is that not a fascinating material detail to ponder? Editor: Absolutely, it’s fascinating to think about this artwork in terms of labor and mass distribution, something that I had overlooked initially.