Benjamin Franklin op audiëntie in Versailles 1783

Editor: This is Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki's engraving, "Benjamin Franklin op audiëntie in Versailles," created in 1783, and held at the Rijksmuseum. There's almost a comic-strip quality to the line work and composition. What catches your eye most in this piece? Curator: It's the theatre of it all, isn't it? Franklin, ever the pragmatist, caught in this dance of European courtly ritual. Chodowiecki’s choice of engraving, with its delicate lines, feels perfect—a medium suited to capture the nuances of diplomacy and unspoken tensions. Do you feel that delicate medium captures this critical historical juncture adequately? Editor: I think so, actually! It seems almost subversive. The fine lines feel so proper, while the actual event, Franklin being received by the French court, was anything but ordinary. It’s America shaking hands with the old world! Curator: Precisely! Think about what Franklin represented: Enlightenment ideals, republicanism, a rejection of monarchy... yet here he is, navigating the very system he sought to overthrow, seeking support for a fledgling nation. The engraving feels almost like a stage set, and Franklin is, as ever, keenly aware of his role, playing it to perfection. It is really almost delicious, isn't it? This dance of idealism meeting pragmatism, preserved in delicate lines. Editor: So it’s not just about the historical moment, but also about how that moment is being presented, almost like propaganda through art? Curator: Propaganda sounds too harsh, but it certainly serves to construct a particular narrative, showing Franklin as a respected figure on the world stage. Even now, centuries later, the echoes of that performance linger. Editor: I never considered that before. Seeing it that way changes everything! Curator: Art always rewards a little extra thought, doesn't it? Always look a little bit deeper, feel a little bit harder...