Masker met baard en snor met krullen, een toef krullen rust op de neuswortel 1555

Curator: Here we have a curious print dating back to 1555, titled "Masker met baard en snor met krullen, een toef krullen rust op de neuswortel," created by Frans Huys. The Rijksmuseum is its current home. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by how intensely stylized this mask is. The curls seem almost explosive, and yet, the expression… it's so placid. It's like a decorative explosion contained within a very calm surface. Curator: It's interesting that you picked up on the calm. It’s an engraving, isn’t it? Think of the controlled intensity to render that kind of placidity. All of those lines so deliberately placed… they almost give the image a meditative quality. And the way the beard frames the mouth—almost as if whispering secrets! Editor: Exactly! The beard does that framing thing. And what I find fascinating is the symmetry… it’s so deliberate. Yet the 'mask' never really existed, did it? It existed purely as image, as an ideal, almost Platonic form of "beard-ness." Curator: Perhaps intended as inspiration for craftsmen or sculptors, providing examples of elaborate designs. There's a strong element of playful exaggeration in those swirling patterns. You could lose yourself in the labyrinth of his beard. Editor: Absolutely! And speaking of labyrinths, consider how masks often serve as transitional objects—betwixt and between worlds. I see not just beard-ness here but transformation. As this work draws on the artistic reservoir that will shape European memory of "the beard", "the mask", it creates new possibilities for identity play and a rich exploration of facial symbols. Curator: What you say is deeply perceptive. I wonder too about the humor? Do you think there is an element of jovial delight in all this grandiloquence? Is he inviting us to laugh, even just a little, at such extravagance? Editor: Oh, definitely a twinkle in those swirling eyes... or perhaps a smirk hidden within those curls! But that humor has a purpose. By gently poking fun, the work also celebrates. In other words, if you have great beards, show them and be bold and proud! Curator: Well, I think this "mask" has unveiled a few unexpected angles. And isn't it remarkable that a tiny engraving from the mid-16th century can spark such playful explorations? Editor: Indeed. The best images carry infinite stories, and like all masks, it still carries with it all the emotions we may have placed over it since.