Portret van Karel II van Lotharingen 1760

Curator: Here we have a print from 1760 by Jean Jacques Flipart titled "Portret van Karel II van Lotharingen," housed here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The weight of adornment is palpable, isn’t it? He's absolutely encased in symbols of power, it’s almost comical. Curator: Indeed. Think about the baroque period, this excess, the drama. It’s not just surface-level showmanship; those elements point toward established systems of rule and lineage. It speaks to a very deliberate construction of identity. The symbols tell the story of his right to rule. Editor: But let's look closer at this print as a thing, made by someone, by their labor. Engraving, especially of this complexity, isn't a quick thing. Consider the social context. Prints made visual imagery accessible to broader audiences. It's more than lineage; it’s about circulating ideas, propaganda, possibly? Curator: Certainly. And consider Charles himself. In his time, this portrait wouldn't have simply presented him; it would have signified qualities and traits that legitimized his position. It’s about preserving and disseminating the aura of power and his hereditary privilege. He is rendered less a man, more an archetype of power. Editor: It’s interesting how the fine lines create texture and almost fool the eye. A way of cheaply distributing visual claims of power – this piece speaks volumes about its making as much as who it portrays. How do we see power made and distributed through material things? Curator: Exactly. And that, I think, is the tension that makes the artwork so compelling to this day. It brings questions of cultural continuity and legacy into the realm of our own experience. Editor: For me, I keep coming back to that intricate process of engraving—the skill and sheer labor. It underscores just how deliberately images of authority are constructed and, moreover, disseminated.