Portret van Xenocrates 1566

Editor: We’re looking at "Portret van Xenocrates," an engraving made in 1566 by Ren\u00e9 Boyvin, housed here at the Rijksmuseum. The detail achieved through the engraved lines is striking, especially in rendering the textures of the laurel wreath and the drapery. What strikes you most about the printmaking process evident in this work? Curator: For me, the interest lies precisely there, in that act of making and in Boyvin’s social position as printmaker. Engraving in the 16th century was a highly skilled craft, relying on techniques passed down through workshops. Think of the physical labor involved in creating the matrix! The cultural capital tied to portraying figures of classical virtue—Xenocrates was a philosopher known for his integrity— is made accessible to a wider audience through this *reproducible* medium. We should be considering how this particular method of material production is deeply embedded with distributing cultural values. Editor: That's a very interesting point about wider accessibility through a reproducible medium. But do you think it impacts how we read the artwork or the values themselves? It's still a portrait, meant to be interpreted and contemplated in its aesthetic qualities. Curator: I agree that the work can be considered from a classic "art history" perspective, in relation to formal portraits. However, understanding the *how* is fundamental. The labor and methods inform our understanding. Was this commissioned? Who bought these prints, and how were they used? These answers further enrich and, I would argue, destabilize our aesthetic interpretations and assumptions regarding "high art." Editor: That definitely gives me something to think about. Looking at it from a production standpoint shines a new light on how this piece operated in its own time. Curator: Exactly. We've only scratched the surface of exploring the layers of meaning embedded in the materiality of this print!