Shield Knave: A Horseman 1712 - 1730

Curator: Here we have “Shield Knave: A Horseman,” a pen and brown ink drawing from the early 18th century, around 1712-1730, attributed to Johannes Brandenberg. Editor: It's a delightful little sketch, isn’t it? Somehow both jaunty and a little melancholy. The figure, all gesture and swish, riding atop this…is it a particularly spirited horse or just rather awkward? Curator: The charm lies, I think, in the linear economy and its baroque exuberance. Notice the hatching defining form, suggesting volume while retaining the flatness of the picture plane. Editor: You're right; there's a wonderful push and pull between detail and sketchiness. The way he uses the ink, it's like he's almost sculpting with it! But what about this rider? Is there a kind of performance happening in the portrait that isn't exactly captured here? He certainly looks pleased, yet stiff. Curator: The equestrian portrait has a rich history, often used to convey power, status. However, here, given Brandenberg’s typical light-hearted touch, I wonder if we’re seeing a gentle satire of these grand portrayals. Editor: Satire, definitely! He has a strange, slightly comical air that really contrasts the formal posture and dress. His horse, too, with that absurdly outstretched leg. Curator: Exactly. Consider also the landscape in the lower portion. Minimal, almost diagrammatic, but it provides just enough information to place our horseman in a wider world. Editor: But in this small work there’s this curious tension between grand ambition, with that touch of parody. What would it have been like, I wonder, to come across the individual portrayed within it. A little awkward and full of bravado, I bet. Curator: Precisely! Brandenberg has captured not just an image, but an essence, a suggestion of character. A little world in ink. It all adds to a rather delicious, and surprisingly subtle, drama.