Count Alexis Orloff c. 18th century

Curator: This is Johann Esaias Nilson's print of Count Alexis Orloff, held here at the Harvard Art Museums. Look at the detail in the engraving. Editor: My first thought is: pure, unadulterated power. The sheer scale of that wig! But also, consider the map beneath the portrait. Curator: Yes, the map underscores Orloff's strategic importance. The inscription lauds him as Supreme Commander of the Russian Army. Editor: The celebration of Imperial might is clear, yet it's crucial to remember the human cost of those victories depicted in the map below. Who paid the price for this man's glory? Curator: It serves as a valuable record of 18th-century power structures and artistic conventions. Editor: Absolutely, though we must contextualize these representations within a broader critique of empire and its legacies. What narratives are deliberately left out? Curator: A very important consideration when looking at this piece.