Postzegel met een portret van Mohammad Ali Sjah Qahar 1909

This postage stamp with a portrait of Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar was designed by Pieter Dupont and the process is a tiny miracle of reproduction. There’s something so enticing about its miniature scale. The texture of the paper, the way the ink sits on the surface – these material aspects shape our experience and spark a sense of wonder. Look closely at the framed portrait, the face of the figure stares with a guarded ambivalence. Imagine the hand of the engraver, carving those intricate lines to produce the image you see before you, the whole endeavor feels almost impossible. The muted palette and delicate details remind me of the work of Luc Tuymans, who also engages with found imagery. Like him, Dupont coaxes new meaning from old images, embracing ambiguity over fixed meaning. It’s a beautiful reminder that art is an ongoing conversation.