Volwassen man met snor 1802

Here we have "Volwassen man met snor" a small etching by Jan Chalon, made sometime in the late 18th century. Chalon, working in the Netherlands during the Enlightenment, offers us a glimpse into the era's fascination with portraiture and the individual. Yet, who is this man with a mustache? He is presented without any of the markers of wealth or status that often accompanied portraits of the time. The tight cropping of the image brings an intimacy, but it also perhaps reflects the rigid class structures of Dutch society. Consider the act of looking, of portraying. The man’s downward glance suggests a moment of introspection, or perhaps even submission. The artist’s hand, the etcher’s skill, captures a fleeting moment of humanity.