Kroning van een militair (in doos met 43 tekeningen) 1703 - 1775

Editor: Here we have a pen and ink drawing on paper, "Kroning van een militair" or "Coronation of a Military Man," made sometime between 1703 and 1775 by Louis Fabritius Dubourg. The baroque style seems very delicate in the medium, but the figures have an undeniably solid quality, so that tension between line and weight draws my eye. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I'm drawn to the way Dubourg employs readily available materials – pen, ink, and paper – to represent power. The labour inherent in producing a detailed drawing like this speaks to the value placed on craft and skill at the time. Think about the social context: who commissioned it? What was its purpose? Was it preparatory, a study for something larger, maybe even for a medal, coin, or a print? Editor: I hadn't considered it as preparation. So you’re thinking about how the value isn’t necessarily intrinsic to the image itself, but tied to its role in a larger system of production? Curator: Exactly! The circular format challenges traditional hierarchies by giving an every-day classical allegory the importance of a sculptural relief. Moreover, we need to see how its components fit into its time's labor: What kind of paper did the artist use, and what's its provenance? How did that specific paper ground relate to the ink available, which in turn dictated line weight and thus final expression of intent? It's the layering of those systems and context, with a touch of luxury, that bring this piece alive. Editor: That makes so much sense. I’ll never look at a Baroque drawing the same way again. Considering it as part of a much larger context reveals a different way to interpret the image as well as its making. Curator: Precisely. Material analysis redirects our attention from iconography toward production to gain insight.