Sigmund Spoendli c. 18th century

Curator: This is Sebastian Walch's rendering of Sigmund Spoendli, a copperplate engraving now housed in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The stark black and white immediately brings a somber mood. The texture of the paper itself appears integral to the piece. Curator: Indeed, notice how Walch employs the burin to create a range of tonal values, giving a tactile quality to the textures of Spoendli's beard and clothing. Editor: Considering the labor involved, this suggests the importance of printmaking within 18th-century society for disseminating images and status. Curator: Precisely. And note the framing—the stone window—which, beyond its illusionistic depth, also serves to ennoble Spoendli, presenting him as a figure of civic importance. Editor: Ultimately, it is the combined effect of material and formal choices that conveys the gravity of Spoendli's position and time. Curator: A fascinating interplay between subject and medium.