Portret van Thomas Bartholinus op 61 jarige leeftijd c. 1670 - 1680

Curator: This engraving captures Thomas Bartholinus, a Danish physician, anatomist, and theologian, around the time he was 61 years old, sometime between 1670 and 1680. What do you make of it? Editor: Immediately, I am struck by his weary eyes and almost melancholic expression. It's an interesting portrayal; the weight of knowledge perhaps? You can see how the artist meticulously captured his subject through that detailed linework. Curator: It’s true. It seems like Gonsales Appelmans really wanted to dive beneath the surface and present an in-depth image of Bartholinus. Beyond a mere likeness. I see someone intensely inquisitive. This begs a larger question, who has the power to see, to represent, and whose visions do we prioritize? How does Bartholinus’s status impact how we see his portrait now, centuries later? Editor: Well, within the socio-political context of the time, his portrayal likely reflects an effort to establish a form of intellectual authority, a strategic articulation of power. The visual language reinforces existing class divisions; but it also preserves Bartholinus within a canon. Curator: Indeed, that's a really good point. We must address the nuances of how portraiture from that era serves to uphold power dynamics. Editor: The print, as a reproducible medium, democratizes the image of Bartholinus, but doesn’t necessarily challenge existing structures. His knowledge, frozen in that expression, remains somehow… inaccessible? Curator: Yes. It is as though the lines in his face, etched so carefully into the metal, serve as maps of his learned experience. There is, in that somber regard, a feeling of contemplation, inviting introspection. Maybe we should ask ourselves what this print invites us to feel or to consider. It has endured the passage of time, but not, alas, its meaning, which depends on us. Editor: Beautifully put. A visual echo, encouraging conversation about art and society—from then until now.