Portretbuste van Hendrik Conscience 1842 - 1887

Curator: This drawing, housed here at the Rijksmuseum, offers an interesting likeness of Hendrik Conscience through a portrait bust created sometime between 1842 and 1887 by Carel Christiaan Antony Last. The detail achieved with just pencil is quite striking, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: Immediately, it evokes a sense of neoclassical formality, even austerity. There's something almost… distant about it, despite the very direct gaze. Curator: It’s fascinating how the bust rests on what appears to be a book labeled with Conscience’s name. It almost feels as if his entire persona is rooted in the written word, given that Conscience was such an influential writer of his time. Does the book suggest his foundation and legacy? Editor: Precisely. Books as pedestals! The visual shorthand certainly points towards elevating Conscience's literary contributions to almost god-like status within the cultural landscape. One also needs to ask, who was commissioning these busts and images? And how were these types of images used to disseminate values? Curator: The fact that this image is a drawing adds another layer. It’s not just about the likeness but the act of memorializing—perhaps democratizing—his image through more accessible media than marble sculpture alone, making it more available for public consumption and memory. A fascinating way to create popular appeal around this influential novelist. Editor: That touches on the burgeoning nationalism of the 19th century too. Figures like Conscience became key in forging a national identity. Consider this image’s role within broader societal trends. Curator: I’m struck by how it blends public image-making with individual artistic interpretation. Editor: And that decorative border feels distinctly like it's designed to elevate the subject's image even further, doesn't it? All signs point to deliberate cultural image-making in action. Curator: An image constructed very deliberately. Thank you for untangling this. Editor: Always happy to bring wider contexts to bear on these striking relics of a culture.