Oude man in kamerjas 1779 - 1831

Editor: This is "Oude man in kamerjas", dating from between 1779 and 1831. It’s an engraving by Martin Frey. He looks quite comfy, though also kind of…important? I’m struck by how casual the pose is in contrast to what feels like very formal attire underneath his robe. What's your take on this portrait? Curator: Ah, yes. The "old man in a dressing gown," eh? More like "old power in comfortable repose!" It makes me think, doesn't it, of that odd dance between private and public self. This man is clearly somebody of substance; look at the lettering – no ordinary Joe, but what IS he actually DOING in his night clothes? Martin Frey is reminding us with a wry little chuckle how the potentates are as rumpled and flawed and at-home-in-their-skin as the rest of us – perhaps even more so, because who can call them on it? I always wonder what he's thinking as he gazes out… perhaps musing over the morning's diplomatic bag or what's for breakfast. What do *you* imagine is on his mind? Editor: Probably both? I hadn’t really thought about the subversiveness of the piece. That contrast definitely makes the portrait more interesting and kind of intimate. I'd assumed that portraiture was just about making people look important. Curator: That was OFTEN the aim, of course – and how crushing it is, when a portrait renders somebody quite ordinary! What Martin Frey is hinting at, here, is a sort of human truth under the finery – what IS left to *prove*, if one has power already? A fascinating question, really! What did you glean from that idea? Editor: It’s really changed how I see portraits. They’re not just about status; they can be about revealing something about the person, even unintentionally. Curator: Exactly. That's the secret whisper behind every painted surface.