Peter Buhl 1812 - 1824

Curator: Here we have an engraving entitled “Peter Buhl,” dating from between 1812 and 1824. It’s currently held in the collection of the SMK, the Statens Museum for Kunst. Editor: Wow, he looks so buttoned up. Very severe but also somehow… vulnerable? It’s those eyes. Curator: The process of engraving, especially during the early 19th century, demanded a high level of craft and a strong understanding of linear perspective and tonal variation to suggest depth, modeling, and even color. Editor: You can almost feel the weight of that naval uniform. The details are exquisite! Makes me wonder, what was Buhl thinking while posing for this? Did he like his epaulettes? Or maybe he just wanted to be back on deck. I bet this print gave him a heroic gleam. A way to remember who he was! Curator: And it's key to acknowledge how this portrait also served a social function. These prints, often produced in multiples, played a crucial role in disseminating images of important figures, creating a visual culture that reflected and reinforced social hierarchies. Who was considered important enough to have their image circulated? That tells us a great deal about societal values at the time. Editor: Exactly! It also becomes, in a way, his essence distilled down for public consumption, carefully managed and reproduced. Did they worry about being ‘authentic’ then, or was image everything too, like it is now? It makes you consider art's tricky ability to stop time... or rather, rearrange it. Curator: A fascinating reflection. It makes you consider just how complex and socially situated these objects are. The production and circulation tell a deep and resonant historical narrative about labor, representation, and identity. Editor: It's so interesting to consider a person by analyzing the object crafted in his image. Sort of eerie too, actually. But then again, isn't that the magician's trick of all great portraits? That's what makes us look so closely.