Johann Reinhold Forster c. 18th century

Editor: Here we have Johann Friedrich Bause's portrait of Johann Reinhold Forster. It looks like an engraving. The ivy border almost makes it seem like he's being presented as some kind of classical hero. What catches your eye about this piece? Curator: The ivy, yes! It's so deliberate, so entwined. It whispers of intellectual pursuits, of a mind grappling with knowledge. But there's also a lightness, a certain wit, in the subject's expression. Perhaps a scholar who doesn't take himself too seriously? Editor: That's a great point, the ivy feels ceremonial but the expression keeps it from being too stuffy. Curator: Precisely! Art is a riddle, isn't it? This one makes me smile, a little knowing wink across centuries.