Portret van Mathias Stephani op 40-jarige leeftijd 1650 - 1685

Curator: Here, stepping into this frame, we meet Mathias Stephani, immortalized around his fortieth year in this rather dashing engraving from somewhere between 1650 and 1685, likely by Nicolaus Häublin. Editor: There’s something so precise and almost solemn about this. The stark contrasts of the engraving, the formal pose... it makes you wonder what he was really like. What can you tell from this image, things maybe that jump out to someone who is more familiar with the style? Curator: You know, what leaps out at me isn't just the meticulous technique – that was fairly common for portraits of the era. Look instead at how Häublin subtly suggests character. Do you see the light in Stephani’s eye, even within the constraints of the medium? What does that tell you? There's a sort of contained intelligence, don't you think? And then that enormous ruff! How can one take oneself seriously when framed by so much starched linen? Editor: Right! It’s kind of distracting, like an Elizabethan collar on a somewhat weary but definitely intelligent man. It is this subtle push-pull, serious yet absurd, is what’s capturing my attention. Curator: Exactly. It reminds us that even in formal portraiture, there's room for life, for a wink, for a subtle subversion. It hints to a playfulness underneath. An interior life that refuses to be entirely confined. What do we even *really* know about what it's like to wear those ridiculous ruffs all day?! Editor: That makes this image more alive, and now I can't help but imagine him privately chuckling at the whole affair. Thanks for the insights, it’s fascinating how much the artist packed in!