Portret van Adriaen du Perron 1630 - 1677

Curator: Welcome. Here we have a baroque portrait print—an engraving titled "Portret van Adriaen du Perron" by Adriaen Lommelin, dating from sometime between 1630 and 1677. It's part of the Rijksmuseum's collection. What are your initial impressions? Editor: Oh, he looks… intense! Those eyes are kind of wild, and his beard, well, it's the beard of someone who’s pondered some serious stuff. Very regal in his dress but almost melancholic in his expression, no? Curator: The somber tone is interesting. Adriaen du Perron was, after all, a cardinal and archbishop. Lommelin captures that duality of spiritual authority and perhaps the personal burden it carries. Consider the history, the intense religious conflicts of that era reflected even in portraiture. Editor: Absolutely! It feels so distinctly *of its time*. The baroque period, dripping with that push and pull between grandeur and…almost… decay. I’m immediately drawn to how meticulous the lines are, creating texture, depth... almost as if you can touch his robes or feel the weight of that cross he wears. I love the power in simple lines! Curator: Engravings were powerful tools for disseminating images and solidifying status. Think about the audience for prints like this. It was a way to broadcast identity, power, and influence throughout society. The circulation of this portrait reinforced du Perron's position and legacy. Editor: Yes, and legacy is an interesting word to consider now too, from our contemporary perspective, no? It makes me consider our contemporary obsessions with image control. Du Perron and those lines have truly lived on… who’d have thought? And what's he looking at, I wonder... something that fills him with sorrow...or revelation. It teeters, which keeps me hooked! Curator: Indeed. Looking at this engraving offers a rich intersection of art, history, and biography. It gives you insight into not only the man but the cultural mechanisms at play. Editor: It truly does. It's amazing how a simple print can evoke so much feeling, so much curiosity. Each little etched line is practically humming. Curator: Yes, well it’s those echoes that remind us of what images—like this one—do and are *for*.