Portret van Thomas Wolsey 1736 - 1738

Curator: This striking engraving is a portrait of Thomas Wolsey, created by Jacob Houbraken between 1736 and 1738. The medium, graphite and engraving on paper, lends a remarkable level of detail to the rendering of Wolsey's likeness. Editor: My immediate impression is of a figure carefully framed, almost enshrined. There’s a gravity to it, yet the Baroque style, with its ornate details, suggests a complexity to Wolsey’s persona. Curator: Absolutely. Look at the arrangement of objects surrounding the portrait: the books, the snake-entwined staff. They all contribute to the narrative of power and erudition so carefully constructed in Houbraken’s time. It invites consideration about how power has been understood historically. Editor: The snake, in particular, piques my interest. Its presence coils meaning. Is it an allusion to Wolsey’s ambition, or a more straightforward reference to wisdom, a classical attribute of authority? Curator: It’s a potent symbol, likely chosen for its duality. While the snake signifies knowledge, its form also hints at temptation and cunning, suggesting that Wolsey’s rise was perhaps not solely based on virtue. We need to remember that, in the historical context, his actions had ramifications felt throughout England’s transition, influencing public opinion for generations. Editor: And it is crucial how Houbraken emphasizes his subject's status with specific attire. Note the sharp depiction of Cardinal Wolsey's hat, a powerful marker that would’ve instantly located his subject within a rigid hierarchy. This is further accentuated with that carefully positioned draping behind the subject. Curator: Agreed, everything—from the draping to the angle of the head—is meticulously designed to project an image. What do you take away from it all? Editor: This piece underscores the human ability to construct and manipulate imagery. How artists, patrons, and social narratives collide is perpetually captivating to observe, even centuries later. Curator: Precisely. And the sustained impact that symbolism and representation hold on collective consciousness; this image echoes historical, psychological and socio-political truths about Thomas Wolsey, some truths and images we, as a culture, still carry to this day.