Countess Marie Anne Marcolini 1787

Editor: So, this is "Countess Marie Anne Marcolini" by Carl Gottlieb Rasp. It’s hard to put a date on it. I find the portrait so poised, very proper. What is your reading of this work? Curator: Indeed, a study in refined elegance! I'm drawn to the framing – the ribbons, the crests below. It's almost as if the Countess is presented as a prize. Does that strike you too? Editor: I see what you mean! Like a trophy in a very stylish package. I hadn't thought of it that way, but now it seems so obvious. Curator: These portraits, especially of nobility, were as much about projecting power and status as they were about likeness. Something we easily forget! Editor: Exactly! I’ll remember that from now on. Thanks!