Portret van Nicolaes Cornelisz. Witsen 1670 - 1713

Curator: Pieter Schenk created this intriguing portrait of Nicolaes Cornelisz. Witsen, sometime between 1670 and 1713. The piece, an engraving, resides here at the Rijksmuseum. My immediate thought is one of power and...wig. Editor: Yes, the wig. A symbol, I think, of authority and societal status, absolutely. The curls act almost like a halo, but the face beneath...there's something much more complicated at play. He seems shrewd. Curator: That’s a key point. It speaks to the entire Dutch Golden Age. There's an emergent merchant class vying for prestige. Witsen was more than just a pretty wig, though, wasn't he? He was a cartographer, a diplomat, and a major figure in the Dutch East India Company. That’s a loaded combination, right there. Editor: Indeed. You see his position reflected not just in the extravagance of the wig, but in the subtle inclusion of the crest, and surrounding details like fasces. I think it conveys ambition as much as it communicates power, and a degree of vulnerability beneath that façade of status. The line work is fascinating – so precise yet yielding a strong sense of character. Curator: Agreed. The stark black and white enhances that drama. Considering its time, there's such sharp, almost photographic realism. But also it reminds me of something of a mask of position… something people perform, which, I suspect, is intentional given the socio-political forces driving wealth and image at that moment in Dutch history. Editor: And in many ways it is a timeless consideration. Looking at how the engraving captures light and shadow, especially around his face and those relentless curls, offers some insights into this tension between appearance and reality. It underscores how much art is really social commentary, and how little that has changed across centuries. Curator: So true. What starts as an imposing image gradually opens to reveal this internal struggle—a play of self-representation that echoes our contemporary preoccupations with social image. Editor: Absolutely. A man, a wig, a symbol. It leaves you pondering how much of anyone's identity is curated.