Portret van koning Frederik I van Pruisen keurvorst van Brandenburg 1687 - 1743

Curator: Ah, this engraving of Frederick I of Prussia! It's credited to Johann Georg Mentzel and thought to date from between 1687 and 1743. Quite a find, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely. My first thought is: Wow, that’s a lot of hair! And somehow, simultaneously severe and slightly silly. Curator: Precisely! The formal pose within the circular frame lends it an air of calculated grandeur, a familiar visual language in baroque portraiture intended to project authority and dynasty. Consider the crown placed just behind his shoulder – it anchors the composition. Editor: And speaking of anchors, all those fine lines creating shade must have taken a ridiculous amount of time, a testament to craft. There’s a weight to the composition. And the way his face seems to be pushing through all that swirling detail... almost claustrophobic. I’m thinking about the burdens of rulership, of image maintenance… Curator: An astute reading. The armor suggests a military prowess – he was, after all, a king during a time of considerable conflict in Europe. But the inscription, "Fredericus Borussiae Rex," reinforces his claim to the Prussian throne and links him to the legacy of "Augustus Fortis Sapiens,” projecting strength, wisdom, and Augustan-era virtues onto Frederick. It's a concentrated assertion of legitimacy through a symbolic matrix. Editor: "Augustus Fortis Sapiens"? Sounds a little try-hard to me! All that heavy symbolism does feel quite forced when you consider the fellow's soft expression and plump cheeks! But then you see the meticulous rendering in the cross-hatching, so very, very precise, and then wonder what he truly stood for... Curator: Indeed, and in his portrait he embodies that contradiction of strength and gentility so that for some this image may come across bombastic and imposing, whereas for others, human, and flawed. Editor: Well, I appreciate having spent a moment or two examining all his finery... and the little mystery his presence poses. It leaves you pondering whether his true character aligns with the picture his portrait tries to paints, something to think about.