Portret van Constanze Tibaldi 1820 - 1846

David Weiss created this portrait of Constanze Tibaldi through engraving. Consider the moment in which Weiss engraved this portrait, a time when revolution was in the air. In many ways, portraiture serves the prevailing social order, depicting those in power and those who aspire to it. Here, Constanze Tibaldi is adorned in the trappings of wealth and status: pearls, lace, and an elaborate feathered hairstyle which speaks to both beauty and privilege. Yet, the softness of her gaze conveys something more complex. Is it a hint of melancholy? Or perhaps a quiet acknowledgement of the changing world around her? Weiss, working in the delicate medium of engraving, captures not just an image, but a sense of the sitter’s internal state. In its own way, this portrait becomes a meditation on the shifting sands of identity during an era of profound social upheaval. The tension between external presentation and internal experience is palpable.