Zijn doorlugtige hoogheyds gemalin te paard 1725 - 1780

Curator: Looking at this engraving from sometime between 1725 and 1780, we see Johannes (II) Kannewet's "Zijn doorlugtige hoogheyds gemalin te paard," held here at the Rijksmuseum. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: Wow, it's… quaint. Honestly, it feels like a fairytale illustration. The floral border gives it this charming, almost folk-art vibe, but the central figure – a woman on horseback – is rendered with such formality. There's a disconnect, a delightful one! Curator: That contrast you notice is fascinating, particularly when considered in the socio-political context. These equestrian portraits often served as powerful declarations of status and authority. By presenting a "highness's consort" in this way, Kannewet participates in the visual construction of power dynamics, where gender, class and representation are negotiated on paper. Editor: Right? I can see that tension. It's like she's trying to project regal confidence, but the image itself feels delicate. It’s as though power is simultaneously asserted and slightly undermined – which, if you ask me, mirrors the complexities of women’s positions back then. The stylized background is fun, too; are those flags? Curator: Precisely. The flags and drapery reinforce the idea of staging. Everything within the image points to an artifice intended to communicate wealth and prestige to the largely aristocratic audiences that appreciated these kinds of images. What kind of modern-day visual strategies remind you of it? Editor: Ooh, that's juicy. Today, Instagram comes to mind, with influencers carefully curating every angle, pose and filter to construct aspirational—and often performative—versions of their realities. In this way, Kannewet prefigured influencer culture, creating carefully contrived narratives for public consumption. Curator: I think you’ve really hit upon something important. In short, by focusing on these visual rhetorics, the drawing reveals critical truths about how social hierarchies are presented and upheld through aesthetic media, as then, so now. Editor: True, but despite everything, I keep coming back to how damn cute the border is! All those tiny buds and blooms… gives you the sense there might be some beauty outside the palace walls. Curator: Indeed! It’s through these seemingly minor stylistic choices that complex issues are embedded into cultural memory and open avenues for contemporary re-interpretations. Thanks, I enjoyed your insightful, spontaneous take on this fascinating piece. Editor: Anytime! Art should be fun. Thanks for bringing the theory to my feels.