Pieter Florisse 1858 - 1862

Editor: So, this is Frederik Hendrik Weissenbruch's "Pieter Florisse," an engraving made between 1858 and 1862. There’s a somber mood to it. I'm struck by the way Florisse is positioned, almost like a political portrait. How do you see this piece in its historical context? Curator: The Rijksmuseum holding this piece places it within a canon of Dutch history and identity. Think about it: in the mid-19th century, the Netherlands was actively constructing its national narrative. Representing historical figures like Pieter Florisse, a naval hero, reinforces that narrative. But what is communicated by producing this image using printmaking rather than painting? Editor: That's a good question. Maybe the artist wanted to emphasize Florisse's role for a broader public? Making prints is a more democratic method. It’s not just about wealthy patrons having access to it. Curator: Exactly! Prints have a distribution that paintings do not, speaking directly to a wider public and shaping historical consciousness. Now, how does the style of the engraving itself contribute? What era does it invoke? Editor: It seems reminiscent of the Baroque style. Is Weissenbruch perhaps connecting Florisse, and by extension, Dutch history, with a grander, almost heroic artistic past? Curator: Precisely. The “old engraving style” as tagged can evoke the perceived glories of the Dutch Golden Age. The placement of the ornate coat-of-arms supports such a notion. Editor: I didn't consider how consciously Weissenbruch might be aligning Florisse with a specific image of Dutch history through printmaking. Thanks for this historical understanding. Curator: And I see the power of this piece anew through your observation of the ‘democratic’ distribution printmaking provided.