Portret van Margaretha van Parma, landvoogdes der Nederlanden 1614 - 1623

Curator: So, what are your initial thoughts on this print of Margaretha van Parma, dating back to the early 17th century, by Crispijn van den Queborn? It’s an engraving, found here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It's quite striking, actually! There's something very formal about the pose and frame, but also intricate. All those details etched into the print. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Well, I find myself considering the physical labor embedded in this object. The act of engraving itself—the careful, repetitive scoring into the metal plate—suggests a meticulous process, almost industrialized. This wasn’t a singular artistic gesture but a reproducible image, reflecting a burgeoning print culture. How do you think the use of engraving as a medium affects its reception and purpose? Editor: I hadn't really thought about it as a sort of manufactured image. Because it’s an engraving, that suggests it was produced for wider circulation? Instead of as an unique artwork? Curator: Precisely. It makes you consider who consumed these images and where they might have encountered them. Prints like this weren't just art; they were commodities, shaped by social and political demands. The detail is so painstaking; you have to consider the material value invested in such a seemingly simple image. It makes you wonder what meanings are layered here, beyond simply that of a portrait? Editor: I’m starting to see this engraving as more than just an image, it is an object rooted in work, time, and distribution. Curator: Exactly. Considering the materials, production process and social role really opens up our understanding of art.