Charlotte Amalie som prinsesse 1665 - 1669

Editor: This is an engraving, “Charlotte Amalie som prinsesse” made sometime between 1665 and 1669 by Albert Haelwegh. It's currently housed at the SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. It feels very formal and austere to me, typical of Baroque portraiture, but I wonder what others see. What do you make of it? Curator: It's interesting you pick up on that formality. For me, portraits of this era are fascinating because they attempt to capture something immutable – a sense of timelessness, really. Of course, they often end up revealing more about the conventions of the time and what the artist, and the patron, valued. What do you think of the details, the textures Haelwegh has rendered? Do they reveal more about Charlotte? Editor: They're exquisite. The delicate lace and pearls suggest wealth and status, while her expression… It's hard to read. Is she supposed to look virtuous, intelligent? Curator: Precisely. Engravings, like this one, often circulated as a way to establish a certain image – think of them as the carefully curated Instagram feeds of the 17th century! Haelwegh is really playing into the idea of dynastic power, using those symbolic details, like the pearls and ornate dress, to highlight Charlotte Amalie’s position. Imagine her future subjects looking at this, perhaps never even meeting her, yet forming an impression. How powerful is that? Editor: So, it's more about constructing an image than capturing a likeness. Curator: Absolutely. And I wonder how Charlotte felt about all this pomp? Was she in on the construction of this image, complicit? Maybe, maybe not. But seeing this image does provoke many questions and make me wish I could get to know the “real” Charlotte. What a burden it must have been. Editor: I never considered the subject's potential feelings toward the work of art before! It’s more layered than I originally thought. Curator: Indeed! The silence in this piece actually has a great deal to say.