Portret van Frederik, prins van Oranje-Nassau 1790 - 1816

Editor: We're looking at a print, an engraving to be exact, titled "Portret van Frederik, prins van Oranje-Nassau," dating somewhere between 1790 and 1816. The portrait is very formal and classical in its presentation, but somehow it reminds me of someone’s cherished little personal sketchbook – quite intimate, even. What strikes you when you look at this piece? Curator: You know, "cherished little personal sketchbook" captures something special, a hushed quality. The way the light grazes Frederik’s face, yes, it speaks of intimacy despite the rigid Neoclassical style. Prints like this were a crucial form of image dissemination back then –the Instagram of the late 18th century! Did it help or hinder a 'true' likeness, I wonder? The engraver leaves their own mark – what do you read into his gaze, rendered so meticulously here? What’s going on behind those eyes? Editor: That’s a good question! He seems rather stoic, very much the proper royal figure, almost…impassive? Do you think that was the intention, or were printmakers also constrained by what they could realistically achieve with the engraving process at the time? Curator: I’d bet my best burin that they embraced those perceived constraints! They played into this restrained ideal; creating likeness AND projecting an image of power and composure that the Prince would no doubt endorse. But then the question becomes - did anyone *really* look like that? What is "true", after all? I mean, he wasn't airbrushed of course, this is crafted. Editor: It’s interesting how our perspective on portraiture has changed. Today we expect more personality, some kind of…vulnerability perhaps. Curator: Absolutely! It makes you wonder what Frederik, Prince of Orange-Nassau would have made of selfies! Thank you, it is true that this piece highlights that intriguing tension between the sitter and the artist’s (or in this case engraver’s) hand and that in the eye of the beholder beauty and ‘trueness’ lays. It's always a shared enterprise, and never set in stone - pardon the pun!