Christina of Denmark, after Holbein 19th-20th century

Curator: This is Joseph Smith's drawing, "Christina of Denmark, after Holbein," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There's a delicate quality to it, almost ghostly, with those faint pencil lines capturing her likeness. Curator: Smith is, of course, referencing Holbein's iconic portrait. The medium itself, pencil on paper, speaks to a certain accessibility in art production. It reduces the grandiosity of portraiture to a more immediate and reproducible form. Editor: Absolutely. And if we consider Christina's story—a young woman strategically positioned as a political pawn through marriage—this drawing, in its apparent fragility, resonates with the vulnerability inherent in her role. Curator: Precisely. This rendering reduces the aristocratic aura of the original, highlighting the labor involved in artistic creation itself, almost as if to comment on the labour involved in Christina's life. Editor: Yes, it’s a powerful intersection of gender, representation, and historical circumstance. Curator: Agreed. It offers a tangible glimpse into the process of artistic interpretation and how portraits can reflect, and refract, social power. Editor: A poignant reminder that even seemingly simple sketches can unveil complex stories about women and their place in history.