Buste van een vrouw met halflang golvend haar 1646 - 1670

Editor: So, here we have "Buste van een vrouw met halflang golvend haar"—or "Bust of a Woman with Mid-Length Wavy Hair"—an engraving by Hubert Quellinus dating back to somewhere between 1646 and 1670. It's at the Rijksmuseum, which seems fitting. I'm immediately struck by how serene, almost melancholic, she seems. What do you see in this piece, looking at it from your perspective? Curator: Oh, she absolutely has that faraway gaze, doesn’t she? It makes me think of those grand Baroque sculptures, all drama and flowing lines, captured in this intimate engraving. The material –metal –gives it this amazing feeling, but beyond the artful curves and implied weight of stone, what resonates for me is her silence. Doesn't it feel like she's guarding some incredible secret? A secret that echoes across the centuries? Does it feel like she looks more to the classical or romantic? Editor: It’s definitely classical, for me! The drapery and hairstyle have this Roman feel. What’s striking is how different an engraving is compared to a marble bust. An engraving is relatively flat, but the artist managed to make it so lifelike, almost touchable. How? Curator: Exactly! That's where the real magic lies. It's about creating depth, texture, even personality, with nothing but lines. Quellinus masterfully uses hatching and cross-hatching to build up shadow and volume, making her seem almost three-dimensional. And that subtle gaze… You almost expect her to turn her head! Editor: So, it's like Quellinus used the engraving to sort of… unlock the sculpture from its stony silence, giving her a voice? Curator: Beautifully put! The print has this immediacy, this sense of personal connection, that a colossal marble figure might lack. She whispers where the stone would boom. It just underscores how versatile art can be across time. Editor: That’s incredible. It makes you appreciate the layers, right? Seeing the classical inspiration filtered through a Baroque sensibility, then translated into a more intimate medium. So much to consider. Curator: Indeed! And who knows, maybe *she* holds the key to all of it, patiently waiting for us to listen.