Portret van Johann Konrad Pfenninger 1793

Editor: So, this is "Portret van Johann Konrad Pfenninger," an engraving from 1793 by J. Pauli. There’s something so direct and…stiff about it, in the subject’s pose. It's very formal and… buttoned-up. What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: Buttoned-up is the perfect phrase! I feel like I'm meeting Herr Pfenninger himself. He has that look that reminds me of my old headmaster. And it IS an engraving – such a precise, meticulous process. I always imagine the artist painstakingly etching away, line by line. Does knowing it's neoclassical in style change anything for you? Editor: Neoclassical, I can definitely see that now with the focus on order and clarity. I guess it makes sense given the historical period, doesn’t it? And that oval frame gives it this classical feel. What would someone have used this kind of engraving for, back then? Curator: Excellent question. Probably as an illustration for a book or maybe a commemorative print. Think of it as the Instagram profile picture of its day! It's how you showed the world you were somebody, you know? A bit like my Twitter feed, minus the cats. Editor: Haha, right! I'm starting to think about the portrait less as stiff and more as deliberate, carefully constructed to convey a certain image. Thanks! Curator: Exactly! And who knows what secrets Pfenninger hid behind that image. The more you look, the more the artwork gives back, and sometimes, it makes you re-evaluate your headmasters!