Allegorisk opstilling med Christian Gyldenløve 1706

Curator: Standing before us is a 1706 engraving titled "Allegorisk opstilling med Christian Gyldenløve." Andreas Reinhardt is the artist. It's held here at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. It strikes me immediately as a dense and meticulously crafted piece of Baroque allegory. Editor: It feels a little stiff, actually. I'm looking at all those figures... the cherubs hovering, the woman with the laurel wreath poised, and it’s all rendered with such incredible precision but feels a bit... distant. The materiality of the engraving seems almost at odds with the grand narrative it's trying to convey. Curator: Distant? Maybe. I see it more as dreamlike. There is something transcendent here, figures floating in an eternal moment of... triumph? Though the sharp lines of the engraving perhaps solidify a world more often expressed in flowing paint. This freezing is also kind of beautiful and intriguing. Editor: Well, I'm also thinking about the sheer labor involved. Just imagine the time and skill required to create those tiny lines to make this print, essentially a reproductive method to convey the glorification of Christian Gyldenløve. Who was consuming these? How was the material cost offset? Those socio-economic conditions seep into the viewing, too, I think. Curator: You're right, that economic reality definitely colors the reception of this image back then, but now… We can just appreciate the technical mastery without having to pledge fealty. Do you find yourself drawn to any particular section, element, of the composition? I keep returning to the sphere tucked in near the curtains… a subtle echo of larger celestial powers? Editor: For me, the weight and wear on the central inscription is compelling. Someone actually held that plate and meticulously scratched every curve and line of the Latin script. What tools did Reinhardt use, and how long did each plate take to produce? That tangible, tactile link to the maker...that’s where the artwork truly lives for me. And maybe, a subtle form of social commentary if we realize who often labored over such pieces with limited rewards. Curator: It’s funny. We’re both orbiting the same celestial body, I guess, just peering through different telescopes. For me it’s always about, yes, understanding how things are MADE – in terms of technique – but then zooming outwards and wondering… how it makes ME. Do you think others are inspired in the same ways by their engagement with creative pursuits and material labor as well? Editor: Yes, I hope they leave with some sense of both – inspired appreciation for all forms of material craft alongside that ineffable spark art gives us, too.