Portret van John en Bernard Stuart c. 1745 - 1765

Curator: I am immediately struck by the textural rendering in this engraving. All that lustrous fabric! Editor: Indeed. Before us is "Portret van John en Bernard Stuart," dating from somewhere between 1745 and 1765, created by James McArdell. It is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. We see here the Stuart brothers in this very stately baroque composition. Curator: Baroque for sure. The emotional and psychological subtext are fascinating. This print conveys a certain wistful melancholy, almost like a faded dream of power and position. Their eyes are directed in different directions; do you feel there is a contrast of expectation and outlook suggested? Editor: The sumptuous rendering definitely serves that emotional undertone you highlight. Note how McArdell achieved the satin sheen through meticulously varied hatching and cross-hatching. The engraving process, and printmaking generally, often involves skilled labor and meticulous production techniques which is sometimes disregarded in art appreciation. Curator: Absolutely. And in the faces, don't you find a carefully observed humanity? They seem so poised, almost idealized. Perhaps an evocation of the longing for the lost glory of the Stuart lineage? The gaze feels carefully considered, perhaps communicating power, perhaps a barely disguised fear. Editor: I can see that in their stances too, a subtle power play perhaps. It brings us back to thinking about consumerism even then; their clothing, material goods reproduced en masse and dispersed as symbols of luxury. Curator: Fascinating. The echoes and vibrations of the image certainly carry across the centuries. The symbols within speak quietly of power and lineage, a delicate memory that has survived time and reinterpretation. Editor: A quiet sort of monument, a lasting testament to not only McArdell's craft, but also the material wealth of these men he was charged to represent.