Portret van Pierre André de Suffren de Saint-Tropez 1830 - 1856

Curator: What a find this is! It's an engraving by Antoine Maurin, dating back to between 1830 and 1856. The title is "Portret van Pierre André de Suffren de Saint-Tropez," and it's right here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Ah, a portrait, bathed in that hazy, almost dreamlike light, so typical of engravings...It whispers tales of powdered wigs and naval exploits! Curator: Absolutely. Maurin captured Suffren with such detail—note the textures he achieved in the sitter’s clothing with such precise lines, an almost painterly quality. Editor: The face, however, feels almost...stolid. It’s that contrast that really grabs you, that tension between the detailed finery and the rather unyielding gaze. There's almost a feeling that it only suggests that these fine attributes were attached to a more complex individual who happened to rise to the call. Curator: You know, it is fascinating to consider the historical context of this portrait, Pierre André de Suffren was a renowned French naval officer, a Bailli even. A figure of immense strategic importance. Perhaps the directness you're noticing is simply the representation of authority, carefully etched. Editor: Or perhaps Maurin sensed more? The engraver's interpretation, in turning historical figure to almost "everyman", opens up to multiple dimensions and nuances. The details surrounding Suffren fade out to become secondary, a ghost story to be left for future tellings. Curator: Precisely. Maurin wasn't just copying an image, was he? He was interpreting a man, a role, a moment. And even the limitations of the print as a medium become expressive! The drawing captures what makes Pierre Andre special. Editor: It's more than a depiction, but an almost quiet rebellion to those previous portrayals! Suffren himself might have hated it or adored it—either way, it sparks conversation. And that's what makes art—and this portrait—truly come alive!