Johan Georg af Sachsen 1661 - 1664

Curator: So, let's consider this print, a portrait of Johan Georg af Sachsen. The artwork is dated between 1661 and 1664 and it was made by Albert Haelwegh. You see that the technique used is engraving. How does this portrait strike you, as an artist? Editor: I find it oddly gentle. There’s something quite touching in the face. It feels like I’m looking at a kid playing dress-up, wearing armour that’s too big for him and that luscious curly wig; a real study in textures, with the rigid metal against the softness of his youthful face. Curator: Indeed. Considering the history-painting and portrait styles that merge here, the emphasis on surface texture reflects both the man’s status and the artistry inherent in early printmaking. The labour of the engraver to translate qualities into line and dot is paramount here, with each impression offering an accessible means of disseminating a likeness across social strata. Editor: I was immediately drawn to the framing. The way that text snakes around the oval of the portrait almost overwhelms the image itself; it is decorative, elaborate and typically Baroque but quite claustrophobic. All that fuss for a single face; it makes me question who he's trying to be or trying to persuade us he is. Curator: Think of prints like these as propaganda too, right? The armour and elaborate attire speaks volumes about power and dynastic lineage. And engraving facilitated mass production to amplify its effect, which meant affordable status symbols circulated widely to affirm hierarchies. Editor: Ah, like an early form of influencer marketing! All that beautiful looping Latin around the subject like jewellery... I wonder who this was trying to impress? Curator: Certainly to project authority across various segments of society. Consider who purchased prints, as well as why they were made: commerce meets commemoration, merging power and privilege with emerging markets. Editor: It's incredible when you start to think of it less like a frozen moment in time, and more as a product of the society around its making; makes you look closer to discover its secrets. Curator: Absolutely. Each strike of the engraver's burin a testament to the network of social relationships propping up noble faces. Editor: So it is! And I leave today looking at that 'kid playing dress up' with completely new eyes.