Portret van John Hamden 1740

Curator: Here we have Jacob Houbraken's "Portret van John Hamden," an engraving from around 1740, residing here at the Rijksmuseum. My first impression is how surprisingly stern and formal this portrait is. Editor: The choice of engraving as a medium fascinates me. Note the fine lines meticulously carved into the metal plate to create this image. Engraving, unlike painting, relies on precise, repeatable actions, a sort of proto-industrial image production. Curator: Yes, and the resulting graphic language is very different from paint, but, look closer: It looks as though it may contain a message related to leadership or maybe war? I see what looks like a depiction of a conflict below the main portrait in that elaborate, sculpted frame. Editor: Interesting that you focus on that supporting imagery. For me the key to meaning lies within the contrast of portrait versus process. Houbraken, likely employed a team to produce such an artwork: each line has to be etched, the paper pressed just so. John Hamden becomes a repeatable unit. Curator: Certainly! But focusing on John Hamden within that frame… Notice his armor. It evokes bravery, sacrifice and tradition. The swirling baroque frame adds to this aura of established power, like the visual manifestation of social capital, a celebration of heritage and power. Editor: Absolutely, the *appearance* of those qualities. Armor implies war, industry enables its mass production... Curator: Agreed. Then what of the engraving, portraying battle, positioned beneath him? Its symbolism of potential struggle might foreshadow John Hamden's political journey and potential conflict or opposition to the established order. Editor: I see what you are suggesting: that there is potential conflict and sacrifice, but what this tells me, really, is that Houbraken and his workshop saw value in visually celebrating and immortalizing certain types of authority during a certain time frame. The medium is the message as the lines speak volumes! Curator: An apt perspective. Seeing this engraving then prompts consideration for how people immortalized their heroes and transferred images. It's like early information design or propaganda in that manner. Editor: Precisely, and through understanding those aspects of early mechanical reproduction we get closer to how those individuals viewed not only their heroes but their entire relationship to material society!