Portret van Georg Bernhard Wibel 1703 - 1737

Curator: So, here we have Andreas Matthäus Wolfgang’s “Portret van Georg Bernhard Wibel,” an engraving, dating from somewhere between 1703 and 1737. Editor: Immediately, there's something captivating in the gravity of his gaze and the cascading white hair – it feels like encountering an Old Testament prophet, wise and weathered by time. Curator: An engraving captures details in such a fascinating way. Looking at the textures, consider the labor involved in creating these lines, the tooling, the pressures applied to the plate… each stroke deliberate, creating tone and depth from tiny marks. Editor: And look at those minute inscriptions that frame the portrait! To consider the level of craft, dedication and skill required fills me with such reverence. What secrets are encoded in his eyes and etched within those curls? It feels like a riddle wrapped in silver ink. Curator: Yes, exactly, Wolfgang likely used burins, small hardened steel rods that when dragged across a metal plate, lift sharp metal shavings which create the recessed lines into which ink will settle. It's fascinating how these fine lines coalesce to build a personality, isn’t it? I'm particularly struck by how he renders the ruffled collar and the play of light across the subject’s face. Editor: Speaking of faces, I cannot take my eyes off this Georg’s stern, but kind face, he looks as though he carries untold stories in his eyes... Also, those plump cherubs holding a laurel wreath, and an engraved family crest—the details feel so carefully constructed. Almost staged to represent status and intellectual pedigree. Curator: Portraits like this were, after all, carefully constructed statements. They were meant to convey particular messages about the sitter’s status, character, and affiliations. A way of controlling a particular man's social persona, making sure posterity got the picture. Editor: Indeed. When you consider the physical and cultural labor, you have a piece with multiple layers of craftsmanship; from the sitter who embodied the character, to the craftsman who painstakingly translated that onto metal plate. Curator: And so, in examining this print, we not only appreciate Wolfgang's skill but also the intricate web of production and symbolism embedded within this Baroque era artwork. Editor: Yes, a remarkable artifact and reflection of not just a man, but also an entire mode of production and period.