Nicolaas Rockox 

Curator: The delicacy of line and wash in this portrait imparts a sense of quiet contemplation, almost vulnerability. Editor: It feels like a sketch, a preliminary study rather than a finished piece, unfinished but full of presence. Curator: Indeed, it's believed to be a preparatory drawing by Anthony van Dyck, likely for a painted portrait of Nicolaas Rockox, a prominent figure in Antwerp. Editor: Ah, Rockox! A mayor, a patron of the arts... I see that immediately in his assured, slightly aloof bearing. He embodies civic leadership of that era, that balance between piety and commercial engagement. Curator: The ruff is remarkable, isn't it? Like a halo or a shield—quite a statement of status and piety. Also note the partially visible second face beneath his hand. The sketch feels layered with intention. Perhaps a contemplation of mortality itself. Editor: It's that face, I think, that pulls me into this image more than anything. It hints at other possible portraits, identities suppressed or idealized in the official rendering. Is it another layer to the identity of the sitter or of Van Dyck himself? The underdrawing opens possibilities beyond mere likeness. It offers another perspective on a historical and culturally very significant person. Curator: It could be. Van Dyck often reused sketches, but its placement feels particularly symbolic here, as though Rockox is resting his hand on the very idea of his own future or legacy. A premonition, maybe even, worked into the art through imagery. Editor: I'm drawn to think of Rockox as more than merely a subject. His support shaped Antwerp's art scene—he commissioned works that directly influenced the city's identity. We have the layers of intention: Van Dyck making the drawing; Van Dyck choosing how to create the portrait and then, a second hidden character that Rockox rests his hand upon; the history we bring to this sketch and portrait... All combine in our viewing. Curator: The drawing is not simply an object then, but an intersection of lives, of power, of memory... Editor: Precisely, a potent reminder that art, even in preparatory form, is active within our shared historical and cultural experience.