Portret van Filips de Goede, hertog van Bourgondië 1745

Editor: Here we have Hendrik Spilman’s “Portrait of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy,” dating back to 1745. It’s currently held in the Rijksmuseum and presented as an engraving print. There's almost something haunting about the meticulous lines of this portrait. How do you read this work? Curator: Haunting, yes! It’s funny how static perfection, captured with such baroque flair, can sometimes feel like a museum piece, encased in expectations. Spilman, of course, didn't personally know Philip – the Duke lived centuries before. But Spilman still felt called to embody the spirit of history! Do you feel that tension, that striving to conjure a bygone era through painstaking detail? Editor: Definitely. The armor seems to tell its own story, the robe also... So many textures. What do you see in them? Curator: For me, these details almost vibrate with the *idea* of nobility. Philip, the man, fades into the *concept* of Philip the Good – power rendered in symbolic form. Notice the weight of the cloak versus the crisp, clean lines of his armor, even! What feelings are evoked for you in that contrast? Is he going to a ball or battle?! Editor: That’s an interesting dichotomy! It seems to be somewhere in between those two worlds... There's definitely a performative element to power. Curator: Absolutely. Spilman is very much performing as an artist *about* power. But is it propaganda, truly? Or is it about the echoes of a remembered grandeur? It seems, this print really made us think, no? Editor: For sure! Looking more closely makes me question everything I thought I knew at first glance. Thank you so much for sharing your insight, Curator. Curator: The pleasure was all mine. Art whispers its secrets best when shared, don’t you think?