Portret van Martin von Boeckellen 1683

Curator: Let’s turn our attention to “Portret van Martin von Boeckellen,” an engraving by Jan Verkolje, I, dating back to 1683. The artwork, executed on metal, captures a dignitary of the Baroque era. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Stark! There's a severity here despite all the ornamental fluff – the lace, the curled wig. You can practically smell the ink and feel the pressure of the burin. Engraving demands precision, relentless labor. Curator: Indeed. Verkolje has managed to inject a sense of individual personality. Look at the details of his expression – it’s very finely realised in comparison to some similar works from this period. And consider that medallion and coat-of-arms…they tell a story of status. Editor: Absolutely, it shouts of hierarchy! How many hours were spent meticulously etching those heraldic symbols, the Latin inscription? Engravings like this circulated as commodities. Each line represents labor, materials extracted, a process repeated and disseminated. I want to know the socio-economic circumstances of Verkolje's studio and the conditions the craftsmen faced! Curator: While that’s intriguing to think about, let’s not lose sight of the portrait itself. There’s a somberness, a gravitas about him. And though the subject looks severe, the baroque rendering lends it a certain flamboyance and majesty... perhaps he feels burdened by his responsibilities? Editor: A burdened bureaucrat, perhaps? These portraits, though seemingly timeless, are products of their time. The material constraints of the medium, the engraver's hand, the demands of the patron—they all conspire to construct this image, reinforcing certain power structures. The image is designed to communicate something explicit to the viewers that can be so easily overlooked in our modern times! Curator: So, even in appreciating the artistry, we acknowledge the labour, production and processes interwoven into its existence! It certainly highlights a whole other dimension to appreciating art from a different period of history! Editor: Precisely. An art of labor, layered and deeply connected.