Portret van Ferdinand von Fürstenberg 1652 - 1707

Editor: Here we have "Portret van Ferdinand von Fürstenberg," made sometime between 1652 and 1707 by Gèrard Edelinck. It's an engraving, and the detail is quite striking. I’m interested in the technical skill it took to create this. What stands out to you? Curator: Considering the social context is paramount here. Engravings like these weren’t simply aesthetic objects. Think about the *labor* involved, the engraver as artisan reproducing and distributing power. This portrait served as a material affirmation of Ferdinand von Fürstenberg's status and reach. The circulation of these images also created networks of influence, did it not? Editor: I suppose I hadn't considered that it wasn’t *just* a portrait, but a political object reproduced through labor. The materiality of the engraving, the ink and paper, becoming a vehicle for power. What’s with the text underneath, would that have contributed? Curator: Absolutely. The inscription "Ferdinandus Dei Gratia," literally "Ferdinand by the Grace of God," followed by his titles, reinforced the idea of divinely ordained authority. The material object of the print legitimised this divine status through dissemination. Who benefited materially from that message being out there? Editor: That’s fascinating, thinking about the social function embedded in the materials. Curator: Precisely. So it asks us to look beyond the immediate visual representation, it demands a materialist understanding of its production, circulation, and consumption in 17th century power structures. Editor: So it is more about power and materials than likeness? Curator: Indeed. Seeing it simply as a Baroque portrait misses the active role it played in materialising power relationships. That coat-of-arms, for example, has specific connotations of place, class and hierarchy that further elaborate the subject's claim on worldly resources. We can ask if the materials are neutral. Are they purely artistic, or something more complex? Editor: Wow, I’ll definitely look at engravings differently now. It has all been so informative, thank you. Curator: You’re most welcome. I trust that consideration of production adds something meaningful to your study.