Portret van Johann Hildebrand Withof op 61-jarige leeftijd 1755 - 1778

Curator: This engraving, dating from the late 18th century, presents a portrait of Johann Hildebrand Withof, identifiable through the inscription below the image. Editor: A very formal affair. The ornate frame surrounding him seems to amplify his almost stolid expression. The engraver really emphasized textures—look at the ruffles on his cuffs! Curator: Indeed. Consider the deliberate use of line weight and hatching techniques. Note the contrast created, for instance, between the tightly rendered facial features and the relatively smooth surface of the coat, indicating depth. Editor: I wonder about the choice to frame Withof in such an elaborate Baroque-style cartouche. It lends him an almost monumental, historical presence. I mean, the poem below the portrait only adds to the weight, turning him into some symbolic ideal, larger than life. Curator: Precisely. The Baroque period is characterized by just this pursuit of dynamism, of elaborate ornamentation creating symbolic heft. We can see it informing academic portraiture even into the late 1700s. It directs the viewer’s eye systematically around the composition. Editor: The poem, though… Do we know what it means? Perhaps it unlocks other facets of his symbolism. He is shown with such self-possession, and that elaborate gesture with his hand could hold some further encoded meaning. Curator: As an object of formal analysis, the poem participates in the composition. We could scrutinize the fonts, their hierarchy, the layout and how it balances the framed figure to assess intent. The formal qualities alone carry information about function. Editor: And to further explore it contextually might illuminate precisely why Withof’s image needed such careful rhetorical presentation in his own time. Curator: The graphic interplay here gives rise to the powerful figure presented before us. Editor: A very constructed legacy indeed! One almost yearns for a simpler, less declamatory presentation of character.