Portret van Georg Daniel Coschwitz 1730

Curator: Before us hangs a baroque engraving, “Portret van Georg Daniel Coschwitz,” created around 1730 by Martin Bernigeroth. This print is held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My first thought? Intensely... contained. Like he's holding a profound secret, maybe even one that tickles him a bit. The hatching creates a somber tone, yet there’s this playful extravagance in the wig that gives the subject a bit of softness. Curator: The portrait indeed participates in the 18th-century culture of scientific portraiture, common amongst intellectual elites like Georg Daniel Coschwitz, who, according to the inscription, was a medical doctor and professor. I wonder how issues of representation play into notions of scientific authority during that era. The rendering might hint at his class, gender and scholarly roles and how those roles reinforce one another through societal perception. Editor: I can totally see him as the main character in a play, a slightly awkward but secretly brilliant one, trying to revolutionize medicine, and struggling to find the right wig. The man clearly invested time in grooming. It suggests a need to display status within rigid societal structures. Curator: This gets us to a key component of the portraiture as an intersection where performance and societal pressures play out. One might observe this form of portraiture as evidence for performativity, both as a staged representation of status and an idealization of masculine identity for learned members of the dominant class. Editor: His eyes… There’s this hint of sadness too. You know, all the frills and social posing don’t fully mask a quiet inner life. It is almost as if, behind the required finery of presentation, you glimpse the vulnerabilities of being human. Curator: So, to conclude, examining this print prompts a reflection on the complex relationship between artistic representation, class structure, gender identity, and the performance of social roles in 18th-century society. Editor: Right. So much more than just a wig. A peek into the human condition, powdered and periwigged!