Portret van de Waalse predikant Phinées Pielat 1688 - 1724

Curator: It feels like gazing into another century! A study in sober intensity. Editor: That's exactly it. We’re looking at "Portret van de Waalse predikant Phinéas Pielat" by Jacob Gole, created sometime between 1688 and 1724. It's a print, an engraving currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It has such a distinctive Baroque feel about it, what catches your eye? Curator: Oh, definitely the wig! Those curls! But beyond the obvious fashion statement, there’s such gravity in his gaze, so much implied…I keep wondering what a "Waalse predikant" thought about day to day. What kind of fire and brimstone did he preach? Editor: Absolutely! That gaze is captivating, almost piercing. The oval framing really concentrates the focus onto his face and that enormous wig. Baroque portraits had a tendency to do that; isolate people in symbolic armor and then make you love them! Curator: Right, but this isn't paint. The fact that it's an engraving gives it such an austere precision. It is black and white. Light and dark. Good and Evil! And is it just me, or does the lettering surrounding the oval give the image a bit of esoteric character? Like it contains some profound encrypted message! Editor: Absolutely! Symbols build layers, you see. Look at the weight those carefully inscribed words lend the image; the lettering, the carefully considered attire all signal a man of importance within his community. The print, a relatively accessible medium even then, ensured wider circulation and therefore solidified Pielat's public image. It becomes a touchstone, reminding the viewer of certain social standards of character and knowledge. Curator: A perfect little encapsulation of authority. No wonder they're compelling. It really does bring history to life, or perhaps more accurately, shows how these symbols and these characters were made to come alive for people. Editor: Agreed. This single engraving is like a portal—inviting us to decipher its historical and cultural codes and perhaps question our own. A remarkable face frozen within a perfect form, a true baroque memory.