Portret van Hans Felix Werdmüller 1731

Editor: Here we have a 1731 engraving by Johann Georg Seiller, "Portret van Hans Felix Werdmüller," seemingly a portrait of a noble. The heavy armor juxtaposed with that elaborate wig creates such a fascinating tension. What stands out to you in this piece? Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the deliberate construction of identity within this work. Notice how the portrait uses signifiers of power - the armor, the wig, the Latin inscription emphasizing virtue and fidelity? These aren't just aesthetic choices; they're carefully constructed statements of social and political standing. What do you make of the landscape depicted below the portrait? Editor: I hadn't really considered the landscape. It seems like a generalized, idealized landscape; it's hard to pinpoint a specific location. Curator: Precisely. And that’s important. In this era, such landscape elements often acted as allegorical backdrops, grounding the individual within a larger historical and geographical context. The subject, Werdmüller, wasn't just an individual; he was representative of a lineage, a territory, a particular sociopolitical order. Think of how similar imagery has historically excluded women and people of color. In what ways do you think portraiture reinforces social hierarchies? Editor: It’s so clear how those visual markers contributed to establishing a man’s legacy during this time, it's hard not to think of the systems of privilege it perpetuated then and, arguably, continues to uphold now. I never considered how actively constructed those images were, how meticulously they communicated power and belonging. Curator: Absolutely. By deconstructing those visual languages, we can better understand not just art history, but also the ongoing politics of representation and power today. The metalwork gives a sense of timelessness, something impervious to social changes, but maybe it isn't. Editor: That makes me rethink how I approach portraits in general; I will examine and reflect on who gets remembered, and how.