Portret van Lodewijk, dauphin van Frankrijk 1655 - 1700

Curator: My first impression? Brooding elegance, if that's even a thing. A bit… weighty? Editor: Well, "Portret van Lodewijk, dauphin van Frankrijk," or "Portrait of Louis, Dauphin of France" in English, certainly carries the weight of history. It's attributed to Jan van Somer and estimated to be from sometime between 1655 and 1700. It's an engraving, so think of the multiple impressions that could be made and disseminated. Curator: Engraving. The precision is astonishing. Look at the detail in that lace ruff! It's like the artist relished capturing the extravagance of the court. You know, as if they had a strange sense of detachment from, but absolute focus on the materials themselves. Editor: Indeed! And the layers upon layers of meaning embedded within. The engraving allows us to consider it not just as a piece of art, but a commodity—an object of consumption representing the French monarchy. Think about how many copies would have been made. It allows for distribution across regions and social strata! Curator: Right. I see him though—beyond the finery. It's a little sad, you know? He looks so young, weighed down by expectation. He appears like some character longing to leap out from a beloved and long-worn novel! Editor: It is history-painting through the line, style and means of an engraving. Baroque aesthetics valued opulence as a signal of status, and this piece deftly marries it with the technologies available to it. Curator: Yes! Seeing how that period deployed this material – how and what messages were crafted, it feels a bit ghostly. Makes one pause on the social dynamics that make a "dauphin". Editor: Absolutely. I find that reflection vital to our viewing of history, and the way this engraving distributes history through material... well it reveals how "Portret van Lodewijk, dauphin van Frankrijk" operates today as both history and artwork.