Christian II 1646

Curator: Look at this engraving, dating back to 1646. It’s a portrait of Christian II. What captures your attention first? Editor: That intense line work, Curator! It creates such a rigid feel, like peering at royalty through a meticulously crafted cage. And so many titles listed under his portrait – quite a show of force from beyond the grave. I'm also noticing how the clothing almost vanishes; my eyes jump to his face, hands, that scepter. It’s a curious set of choices given what these objects would have represented for royal power in the 17th century. Curator: Yes, the engraving really does command your gaze, doesn't it? One has to marvel at how artisans would spend hours, if not days, creating images such as this. Editor: That's precisely where my mind goes! Think of the artisan creating the engraving and consider who he’s working for, what purpose is intended here, and how the engraving's medium itself conveys prestige. Curator: Beyond its obvious visual qualities, what intrigues me are the subtle textures the engraver managed to achieve using what’s, at its most fundamental, a very linear medium. Editor: Absolutely! The fur trim on his cloak is begging me to figure out how that specific tactile rendering came to be, along with the process used for imprinting the engravings, given how crisp they are. Also consider how the act of creating, disseminating, and acquiring prints became a central means by which ordinary people started interacting with royal life and material. Curator: It feels both formal and intimate at once. I wonder about the individual. What thoughts occupied his mind? What anxieties might have plagued him in the hours before his image was rendered so unyieldingly? Editor: What do you make of the composition? To me, it comes off like a template for asserting authority; a sort of checklist to reinforce this person's status. Consider, too, the labor involved. Engravings are multiples; their worth is in being reproduced, and disseminated, making the royalty available to new consumers and consumers to royalty. Curator: That’s interesting… considering all the implications you bring up around the materiality of power. Thank you. Editor: Likewise; this was definitely one labor of royal love—multiplied many times.