Portretbuste van een oude man 1620 - 1690

Curator: Here we have a portrait bust of an old man, rendered through the intricate art of engraving. Editor: There's a real intensity in his gaze. I see weariness, but also an unmistakable spark of intellect. It's almost like peering into the soul through crosshatching. Curator: Indeed. The piece dates roughly between 1620 and 1690, and we attribute it to Cornelis Bloemaert. You know, I’ve always wondered who this man was, the subject eternally captured by Bloemaert’s hand. Was he a philosopher, a merchant, or something else entirely? Editor: Engraving lends itself so beautifully to portraiture, especially when you start to consider the material and economic conditions of production. I can’t help but see that in addition to this being a kind of historical study in capturing someone’s likeness, the detailed labor that must’ve been part of the engraving would itself make this valuable and coveted by people with the resources for art in the era. Curator: You are quite right. The baroque flourishes, though subtle, speak volumes about the period’s artistic sensibilities and Bloemaert’s creative talents. Editor: And even something like the oval frame—we think of the decorative quality of it, sure, but the resources! The time taken! Each of those motifs means someone was spending a very particular kind of attention to it. We should attend to that labor. Curator: Bloemaert truly coaxed life out of what are essentially mere lines. I’m constantly struck by how contemporary and fresh he feels, given that his is a style so linked with history. I believe that every viewer comes to know him differently. Editor: Perhaps that’s due in no small part to the engraving as a material thing mediating what he’s showing us in a time capsule, as much as a style! I'm going to mull that over.