Portret van Hendrik Casimir I, graaf van Nassau-Dietz 1630 - 1699

Curator: Up next, we have an engraving portraying Hendrik Casimir I, Count of Nassau-Dietz. It's held here at the Rijksmuseum and dates sometime between 1630 and 1699, but its creator remains anonymous. Editor: The initial impression is rather severe, isn't it? His gaze feels piercing despite the miniature scale. Almost as if a tiny king is observing us all from a keyhole. Curator: It's true, engravings often evoke a sense of formality and rigid decorum. Perhaps something to do with their ties to book illustration and document production? This image would likely have been mass-produced as a political tool. Editor: Absolutely. And notice the oval frame and surrounding text. They remind me of a coin or a seal—instantly communicating power and authority. He is neatly bordered, safely secured, tightly held. The overall effect is one of preservation, holding space in posterity. Curator: That lettering framing the count's head really boxes him in with all those titles! Duke here, governor there, and a host of honorifics...it creates a very tight conceptual space. Editor: The detail, particularly in the lace collar and the etched shading, speaks volumes. They signal his noble status without the need for excessive ornamentation or flamboyance. Think how different his reception would be if it were rendered using colorful paints on a much larger canvas. Curator: That contrast also tells me a great deal. There's a sense of restraint, yet every detail of his attire broadcasts an unsaid, unquestionable opulence. An engraving does so much with very little. Editor: Consider also the enduring quality of an engraved image. These marks are meant to last, representing a steadfast claim on identity and power long after the subject has faded from living memory. A statement etched in history, so to speak! Curator: Right! What started as a fleeting portrait of a notable man becomes a carefully designed narrative that reinforces the very structures of power and his unique place in the world. Thanks to works like this, he never truly disappears. Editor: What I'll be pondering today is the contrast between the engraving's deliberate formality and my instant feelings. He doesn't strike me as someone at peace; perhaps an anxious man hidden in that carefully wrought icon.