Anne Margrethe Schall 1767 - 1824

Curator: I find this image captivating. The lithograph on toned paper depicts Anne Margrethe Schall, an 18th-19th century figure, as captured by Andreas Flint. The piece resides here at the SMK. Editor: Immediately, I’m struck by its almost austere, neoclassical feel. The circular format, the profile view... there's a restraint but also a depth in the shading that gives it life. Curator: The choice of lithography allows for such fine detail. Looking at Flint's process, we can see the influence of contemporary printmaking, with an interesting attention to replicating the effects of earlier engraving styles using new methods. The paper choice, its texture and tone, contributes significantly to the final affect, something to consider for viewers reflecting on craft processes here. Editor: Absolutely. The profile portrait itself carries specific cultural weight, hearkening back to ancient coins and classical portraiture, which implies power, nobility, or lasting importance. Note how the necklace and earrings signal wealth and status, visual indicators read across generations, but also softened with that elegantly draped cloth to reveal more of a personal warmth. Curator: The way light is handled, creating soft shadows and highlights on her face, also speaks to prevailing tastes. This wasn’t a quick sketch, I believe, but a deliberate and careful construction utilizing new technology for greater availability, signaling perhaps an increased role for middle-class or upper middle class consumers and models in the marketplace for portraiture? Editor: That’s an interesting thought – it also might play into shifting ideals around womanhood during that period. We see hints of revolutionary fervor translated here into art and domestic life...her serious, almost defiant, gaze projecting intellectual and cultural values beyond domestic concerns. Curator: This piece prompts interesting thoughts around process and influence, especially the intersection of technical means and social function within an individual object. Editor: For me, this portrait continues to offer subtle glimpses into a bygone era through an ever shifting visual code, inviting further conversation long after one leaves the gallery.