Portret van Wilhelmus Velingius 1740 - 1774

Editor: This is "Portret van Wilhelmus Velingius," a print from sometime between 1740 and 1774 by Pieter Anthony Wakkerdak. The man’s got quite the wig! He looks so serious. What’s your take on this piece? Curator: Serious is certainly one way to describe it, isn’t it? But look at the composition, almost like a window. The man, Wilhelmus Velingius, peering out or perhaps inviting us into his world of books and knowledge. What do you make of the angel above the arch? Editor: I hadn’t even noticed the angel! Is it meant to be… optimistic, or something else entirely? The rest of the portrait feels quite formal. Curator: Perhaps it is. Or, maybe the artist Wakkerdak had a quirky sense of humor? Or an awareness of fleeting mortality? A cherubic memento mori perched above a very serious man, who's likely not long for this world…it’s a little bit dark but ever so stylish. Editor: Stylish is right! And the thought of that hidden symbolism adds a whole new dimension to this piece. I’d probably have breezed right past without it! Curator: These little visual puzzles were much appreciated in the eighteenth century, dear. Think of it as pictorial wordplay, very fashionable at the time. You know, looking closer I get this sense of almost staged sincerity. What do you feel when you look at this portrait? Editor: Now that you mention staged sincerity, it kind of clicks. I see less genuine sternness and more a practiced formality, almost like a performance for posterity! Curator: Exactly! And sometimes the best performances, and the best portraits, are the ones that make us wonder what’s real and what’s a carefully constructed illusion. Editor: It's amazing how a fresh pair of eyes and different context changes everything! I won’t look at portraits the same way. Curator: That's the beauty of art, isn't it? There is always another story to uncover, just beneath the surface.