Christoph Conrad Falckner c. 18th century

Curator: This is Johann Martin Bernigeroth's portrait of Christoph Conrad Falckner, held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The man’s gaze is so direct, isn't it? And all that hair frames him like a halo; it’s the absolute symbol of status. Curator: Absolutely. Hair, clothing, stance—it’s all carefully constructed to project power. Falckner was, after all, a prominent figure; this portrait is a deliberate act of self-fashioning within the 18th-century social milieu. Editor: I also see something about the tension between the artifice of power and the human underneath. See the subtle lines around his eyes? There's a vulnerability peeking through all the pomp and circumstance. Curator: And consider the engraving itself. Bernigeroth’s technique amplifies that sense of detail, rendering not just a likeness, but a statement about privilege and the anxieties of maintaining it. Editor: It’s a potent reminder that even in idealized images, the complexities of human experience are always present. Curator: Precisely, and perhaps why, centuries later, we find ourselves still drawn to it.