Man met een brief 1746 - 1816

Johann Anton Riedel made this print, "Man met een brief," using etching, sometime around the late 18th century. The sitter's refined attire - that elaborate ruff, the fitted doublet - announces his elevated social position. But what's most compelling is that letter. The image invites us to ponder the role of correspondence in maintaining social networks and hierarchies. During this period, letter writing was a crucial tool for merchants, politicians, and elites to manage affairs of state and commerce across geographical distances. The very act of sending and receiving letters signaled one's place in a web of power and influence. This etching, housed today in the Rijksmuseum, also tells the story of artistic institutions and their reliance on the circulation of images. We can dig into the museum's archives, study historical records, and analyze the print’s visual codes to fully understand its meaning. Ultimately, this artwork is a product of its time. It reflects the social, economic, and cultural values that shaped its creation and reception.