Portret van René Pucelle 1715 - 1750

Curator: Here we have an engraving from sometime between 1715 and 1750, now residing here at the Rijksmuseum. It’s entitled "Portret van René Pucelle," and is attributed to an anonymous artist. It showcases, through meticulous lines etched into the metal plate, the portrait of René Pucelle within an elaborate Baroque setting. Editor: The detail is astounding, almost feels like a miniature stage setting! And, oh my, what a wig. Seriously though, the engraver really captured the era's opulence—yet there’s also a stillness to the gaze of René. Almost melancholic, don't you think? Curator: Melancholy perhaps reflects more than just the sitter's emotions; consider also the engraver's labor. The physical act of transferring the image, line by line, onto the plate, implies a specific mode of production heavily reliant on skilled craft. We must acknowledge the labor of the hand to understand fully its intended purpose. Who made the paper it's printed on and who was he working for? Editor: Absolutely. It's a performance, this act of representation. And think about the little angel above! All fluffy and…holding a laurel wreath. Are we to think Pucelle deserves that kind of reverence? Maybe it’s intended as gentle satire? Curator: That laurel, intertwined with an idealized backdrop—classical architecture, heavy drapery—these are visual cues directly linked to systems of power and authority. Who holds the power? And in what economic environment will his be bought and sold as images? Editor: True, true. Power, faith, the eternal struggle… I was busy admiring the swirling composition of the curls of hair! Thinking how beautifully rendered they are and where it meets that halo-ish glow. Curator: And there lies a deeper purpose to art, if it inspires, compels and engages the senses. Editor: Precisely! Which makes this…not just a historical artifact, but an echoing, vibrating…thought. A beautiful little world captured with nothing but tiny, precise strokes. A beautiful portrait, made tangible.