Griffenfeld som Rigskansler 1673 - 1676

Curator: Johann Husman created this engraving of "Griffenfeld som Rigskansler" between 1673 and 1676. What strikes you immediately about this portrait? Editor: Oh, the hair. Absolutely the hair. It’s so voluminous, cascading down like a baroque waterfall. I'm getting a sense of power and status… maybe a hint of theatricality? Curator: The flowing hair, lace collar, and ornate jacket were certainly hallmarks of aristocratic portraiture in the Baroque period. Griffenfeld was, after all, the Royal Chancellor of Denmark, a position of immense influence. Editor: And you see that coat of arms at the bottom. It’s a language unto itself. Symbols piled upon symbols—almost comically intricate. Did everyone need a cheat sheet to understand those things? Curator: Indeed. Heraldry was a complex system intended to communicate lineage, allegiances, and achievements. In a portrait like this, the coat of arms amplifies the sitter’s identity and claims to authority. We must recall the historical hunger for authority. Editor: I’m also thinking about the permanence implied by engraving—making this image almost eternally reproducible. A statement in itself. Like saying, “This is Griffenfeld, and he will not be forgotten.” It's funny how art can be so forward in that aspect, though reality unfolds differently. Curator: Precisely. Printmaking allowed for wide dissemination of images, extending a ruler’s, or in this case a powerful politician’s, presence far beyond the court. A powerful form of propaganda in a way, cementing cultural memory. Editor: A powerful reminder of how symbols can inflate, almost past the point of reason. Makes you wonder what symbols we clutch to, without fully thinking it through today... Still, this engraving is wonderfully executed and reveals how images cement power. Thank you for shedding light on this, I learned quite a lot!