Portret van Conrad Pellican 1759 - 1815

Editor: We're looking at a print called "Portret van Conrad Pellican," created sometime between 1759 and 1815 by Heinrich Pfenninger. It's an engraving on paper. It has this… solemn feel, doesn’t it? Very serious. I'm curious about the subject's stern expression. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Serious, yes, but look closer! His eyes have a twinkle. Maybe he just caught the artist in the middle of a joke. Or perhaps he had gas. It's interesting, though, to think about what went into commissioning and producing a portrait like this. The sharp lines, the almost scientific rendering of his features… do you get a sense of the social status conferred onto the subject from this formal style? Editor: I guess so! It feels very official and maybe even… flattering? He's not bad looking! Curator: Flattering is interesting, yes! Considering this would likely have been a somewhat costly venture at the time. This image might've had an interesting life hanging in a library, or as a gift of high importance. But how true can a likeness ever be when captured in lines and ink? Is it the man or the idea of the man we're looking at? What is an engraving, truly, but an opinion meticulously etched onto copper, destined to be printed a million times over? Editor: Whoa. That's a lot to think about. So much more than just a portrait, I get it! Curator: Exactly! Art opens up these incredible conversations, right? Even with just one engraving, we've got biography, history, and philosophy all tangled together!