Adrian Steger c. 18th century

Editor: So, this is a portrait of Adrian Steger by Andreas Matthäus Wolfgang. The inscription mentions he died in 1700. He looks so serious, almost theatrical. What do you make of it? Curator: The wig alone could launch a thousand ships, don't you think? It screams status, power, and a certain performative identity. But I wonder, does the gaze betray a vulnerability beneath all that baroque bluster? Is he pointing outwards, or perhaps hinting at something within? Editor: Interesting. I never thought about the vulnerability part. Curator: Maybe I'm projecting! But art is a mirror, after all. What it reflects back is always a little bit of ourselves. Editor: So true! Thanks for opening my eyes.