Portret van Bernhard Friedrich Rudolf Lauhn before 1773

Curator: Let's discuss this intriguing piece from the Rijksmuseum's collection: a portrait titled "Portret van Bernhard Friedrich Rudolf Lauhn." It's an engraving by Johann Michael Stock, created sometime before 1773. Editor: Oh, it’s one of those stately gentlemen staring pensively out of a bygone era. Makes me think of powdered wigs and legal arguments! There’s a definite coolness, a composure, wouldn’t you agree? Curator: Precisely. Stock's use of line work here is compelling. Note how the density of lines modulates to define form and texture—the lace of his jabot, the quilted pattern on his coat. See also the symbolic backdrop—drapery and classical columns that structure space and confer a degree of stateliness. Editor: Right! All that visual rhetoric builds this sense of established power. Even his face seems carefully constructed. It makes me wonder, though: what kind of stories, human stories, are hidden beneath that perfectly composed surface? Was he kind? Vengeful? Ticklish? Curator: Those human elements certainly lend themselves to speculation, but what is visibly knowable arises from Stock’s expert control of the engraving process. Notice how the formal composition guides our gaze to the figure's face. We're compelled to contemplate the figure's gaze and how that encodes character. It represents a mastery of baroque portraiture conventions. Editor: True, there’s something undeniably solid about it, like a legal document rendered in ink. Maybe Stock wasn't trying to capture Lauhn’s soul. Maybe it was all about the message: “Here stands a man of substance, influence, and education". Which it definitely delivers, even now! Curator: A perfect summation. Editor: Well, perhaps this chat has reminded us that even the most formal portrayals can ignite our curiosity about a person from the past.