Portret van Hendrik Julius van Brunswijk-Wolffenbüttel, bisschop van Halberstadt 1600 - 1604

Editor: So, here we have an engraving from between 1600 and 1604, "Portret van Hendrik Julius van Brunswijk-Wolffenbüttel, bisschop van Halberstadt", or "Portrait of Henry Julius of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel, Bishop of Halberstadt," made by Dominicus Custos. The fellow looks...intense. Almost comically so, with that magnificent ruff. What do you make of him? Curator: Comically intense! I love that! I imagine Custos saw something similar – that wonderful dance between power and inherent human ridiculousness. Engravings, especially portraits, often had to walk this line. Think of them as early PR. Editor: So, how would they accomplish that, exactly? Curator: It's a fascinating balancing act. On the one hand, you need to convey the subject’s status. That ruff? Pure power-dressing! The lettering encircling the image shouts his titles for all to see. But then, there’s the artist, who sneaks in a little personality, a hint of the man beneath the bishop's regalia. What do you see in his eyes? Editor: Definitely a sharpness...but maybe also a touch of weariness? Or is that just me projecting? Curator: Projection isn’t a bad thing, it's connection. Perhaps Custos caught a glimpse of a man burdened by the weight of his office. It's this tension that makes it more than just a propaganda piece; it has that captivating, quiet energy. Makes you wonder about the stories etched behind those eyes, doesn’t it? Editor: It really does. It is not every day that one comes across someone as striking as this. Curator: Exactly! It is such a stark visual contrast from what one might expect in a baroque artwork, which offers food for thought.