Portret van Willibald Pirckheimer c. 1597 - 1669

Curator: Looking at this engraving, I'm immediately struck by the sheer gravitas of the subject. He looks rather severe! Editor: Indeed. What we have here is "Portret van Willibald Pirckheimer," an engraving by Theodor de Bry. The Rijksmuseum dates it from around 1597 to 1669. Curator: It’s all in the eyes, isn’t it? A gaze that could pierce stone! And the framing, too – that rather busy oval wreath of botanicals, it’s like he’s contained by his own intellect. Editor: It’s a fitting visual metaphor for a humanist of the Renaissance. Pirckheimer was a renowned scholar and advisor to Emperor Maximilian I. Images like this circulated amongst intellectual circles; sort of Renaissance trading cards, if you will. Curator: Trading cards for deep thinkers! I love that. But, truthfully, that fur collar makes him look a bit like a startled cat. All that meticulous detail on the engraving emphasizes the texture and richness of his clothing—and hints at his station, of course. Editor: The textures are incredible. Think about the social function, the way that prints made images and knowledge widely available, democratizing portraiture, even if its still the elite being depicted. Look closer, you can see a scorpion tucked in one corner and a fly in another; common symbols included to inspire thoughts about morality and intellectual labor. Curator: A memento mori in miniature. And that phrase below the portrait... what does it say? I feel like I should know this... Editor: It's Latin. Roughly translated, it means, "I know the deeds of the world and the stars of the sky; I owe alike things below and things above." It neatly encapsulates the Renaissance spirit – bridging earthly concerns with heavenly aspirations. Curator: Oh, that’s just perfect. A bridge between worlds—he really did look the part. You know, I initially saw severity, but looking closer, there's a profoundness in his eyes too, an intensity honed by hours of study and contemplation. Editor: It shows how powerful and persuasive a small engraving can be. And hopefully, in seeing such prints, we can appreciate how public imagery functioned back then. Curator: Exactly! Thanks to prints like these, figures like Pirckheimer weren't just confined to history books. They existed in the daily lives of scholars. Editor: And through these images, in a way, they still do.