Soldaat van de Zwitserse Garde 1779

Curator: Here at the Rijksmuseum, we have Johann Georg Wille's engraving from 1779, "Soldier of the Swiss Guard." It's quite striking, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Immediately, the headdress grabs your attention. It's monumental, regal, almost obscuring the figure beneath. What is it suggesting about power and identity here? Curator: It is evocative, and as a work of art rooted in history and institutional structures, we can analyze this engraving through the lens of the Swiss Guard's evolving role. Consider their function, hired by European royal courts as mercenary forces, primarily for security purposes. It signifies their loyalty and the visual markers of power. Editor: Right, the regalia is certainly rich with symbolism. The fur headdress, that elaborately decorated sash, the confident gaze... These aren’t merely decorative elements. They are icons of protection and the wearer’s perceived invincibility. It’s a powerful, lasting image of authority and order, and yet, it hints at vulnerability with that sidelong glance. Curator: He is set against this arched, almost theatrical backdrop which heightens the portraiture, almost as if to place him upon a kind of historical stage, while his posture speaks more to an era of poised refinement than raw force. In art institutions like the Rijksmuseum, works like these aren’t only celebrated, but debated. Their meaning can change depending on a period's cultural values and assumptions. Editor: The precision of line is equally striking. Even in monochrome, the textures feel tangible—the softness of the fur against the crispness of his uniform. This precision draws me back to the symbolism itself. Every mark seems to hold weight, building up this image layer by layer, and echoing throughout its period and now. Curator: Absolutely. And that dialogue between material reality and constructed image is precisely what makes a work like this continually compelling within a collection. Editor: Agreed. It certainly gives me a fresh lens through which to see power represented.