[Script Info] Title: [Events] Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Portraits of men engaged in their profession were a relatively new thing.\Nforcing Holbein to quit the court and look to the rising middle class for new clients. Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They show us... Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.00,0:00:04.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Art... Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.18,0:00:05.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ArtSleuth Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.02,0:00:10.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A superb Turkish carpet Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.78,0:00:13.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Money Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.82,0:00:16.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Finely worked gold Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.84,0:00:20.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A picture by Hans Holbein Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.48,0:00:23.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A young man of the Renaissance? Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.96,0:00:25.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Indeed! Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.04,0:00:29.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- and he seems to be putting his cards on the table. Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.86,0:00:31.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even his name, Georg Gisze, Dialogue: 0,0:00:31.42,0:00:33.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,appears several times in the picture Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.82,0:00:36.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Below his personal motto: Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.80,0:00:39.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,“No joy without sorrow” Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.58,0:00:43.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on this piece of paper stuck to the wall Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.94,0:00:48.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and again on this letter Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.50,0:00:54.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yet, what a contrast between this show of wealth Dialogue: 0,0:00:54.04,0:00:57.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and his disconcerted or appraising look, Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.42,0:01:02.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which almost suggests we are invading his privacy. Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.18,0:01:08.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what a contrast between these precious, richly worked objects Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.14,0:01:10.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the rough wall of the cramped wooden box Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.88,0:01:14.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in which he seems confined! Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.08,0:01:17.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What is Holbein telling us about him Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.54,0:01:20.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with all these knick-knacks ... Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.96,0:01:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,… and what is he hiding from us? Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.05,0:01:26.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Episode 9 : Holbein - *Le Marchand Georg Gisze*\N*Le Monde mis en boîte* Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.30,0:01:30.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Part 1. New Era, new Merchants Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.86,0:01:36.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The thing that strikes us at once is the emphasis on correspondence: Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.48,0:01:38.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not only is Gisze shown Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.18,0:01:40.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,…in the act of opening a letter… Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.62,0:01:43.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,… but most of the objects have the same connotations: Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.60,0:01:46.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The letters pinned on the wall, Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.26,0:01:52.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The dispenser with string to fasten them securely Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.20,0:01:56.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or the strips of parchment with their ready-for-use seals. Dialogue: 0,0:01:57.00,0:01:59.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Holbein wants us to notice them, Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.66,0:02:02.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and even distorts Gisze’s arm Dialogue: 0,0:02:02.66,0:02:05.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to let us see them clearly. Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.08,0:02:09.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Moreover, these letters are perfectly legible. Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.38,0:02:16.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,...that Gisze is a London-based merchant, Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.08,0:02:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in constant touch with his family Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.00,0:02:23.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and other merchants in northern Europe. Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.10,0:02:26.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But although the picture identifies him as a merchant, Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.78,0:02:29.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we have no way of knowing what he deals in! Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.12,0:02:32.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Indeed, these massive keys are the only sign that he has - somewhere - … Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.22,0:02:36.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,…goods locked away in a warehouse. Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.38,0:02:42.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The one thing Gisze really lets us see is his collection of official seals Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.42,0:02:44.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the motif is reversed, Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.42,0:02:48.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and will only show correctly when impressed on wax Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.68,0:02:54.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and another, larger one is attached to a precious ball of amber. Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.52,0:02:58.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The letters from other merchants Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.80,0:03:01.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are signed with strange pictograms, Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.94,0:03:05.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,… and the seals themselves are everywhere. Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.38,0:03:09.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So why this obsession with signatures? Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.34,0:03:12.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The fact is, Gisze is one of a new breed of merchants. Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.26,0:03:15.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Instead of hauling his wares from one European fair to the next, Dialogue: 0,0:03:15.84,0:03:19.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He has an office in London, Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.78,0:03:22.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the Steelyard, where the German merchants congregate, Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.36,0:03:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and where he represents his family, Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.00,0:03:29.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one of the most powerful in Danzig… Dialogue: 0,0:03:29.82,0:03:32.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a town belonging to the Hanseatic League, an association of merchant cities, Dialogue: 0,0:03:33.44,0:03:37.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which dominates European trade. Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.10,0:03:39.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Success for these great international merchants is a matter of being in the right place Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.38,0:03:44.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to know, for example: Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.62,0:03:47.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the Baltic towns have a surplus of cheap fish ... Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.22,0:03:50.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,… which England needs to feed the countless workers Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.80,0:03:54.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,... who make the cloth Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.24,0:03:57.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,she must sell on the continent. Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.94,0:04:02.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Gisze succeeds… Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.12,0:04:05.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,…because he knows about supply and demand … Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.14,0:04:10.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,… and how to put sellers and buyers under contract. Dialogue: 0,0:04:10.28,0:04:13.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But these seals are also based on the runic alphabet, Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.74,0:04:17.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and have talismanic value, Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.14,0:04:19.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,since a vital part of coming out on top in business is coming out on top when Fortune spins her wheel: Dialogue: 0,0:04:19.60,0:04:22.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after all, the ship he loads with goods Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.18,0:04:24.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,may return from her voyage with huge profits … Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.40,0:04:27.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but may also go down - and drag him with it! Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.52,0:04:30.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This new way of doing business certainly offers him comfortable margins … Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.06,0:04:35.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,… but he must take risks to secure them. Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.24,0:04:38.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which is why he implicitly boasts on his walls Dialogue: 0,0:04:38.36,0:04:42.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of having information which other men do not. Dialogue: 0,0:04:42.38,0:04:46.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is that why he gives us that cautious look? Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.73,0:04:51.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Part 2. Time takes all Dialogue: 0,0:04:51.46,0:04:54.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But who is he really looking at? Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.46,0:04:57.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The picture gives us some clues: Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.10,0:04:59.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the clearly visible message at the top, for instance, … Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.44,0:05:03.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is aimed at us, the viewers … Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.12,0:05:07.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,… and tells us that this is indeed what Georg Gisze looked like, that these were his eyes and his cheeks Dialogue: 0,0:05:07.10,0:05:09.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the age of 34 Dialogue: 0,0:05:11.20,0:05:13.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,-no longer so young for a bachelor, Dialogue: 0,0:05:13.36,0:05:18.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the regulation status for members of the Steelyard. Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.80,0:05:23.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And, as this pocket clock reminds us, time is passing: Dialogue: 0,0:05:25.48,0:05:29.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The flowers beside it are not simply there to pretty up the picture. Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.16,0:05:33.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Each has a definite meaning: Dialogue: 0,0:05:33.20,0:05:39.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hyssop protects against the plague, and tells us that Gisze takes care of his health, Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.42,0:05:42.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the carnation symbolises betrothal, Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.56,0:05:45.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the rosemary stands for fidelity. Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.00,0:05:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So is the portrait a gift for his future wife? Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.00,0:05:53.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Three years later, Gizse goes home and marries in Danzig: Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.82,0:05:57.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,quite possibly, he was already engaged when the portrait was painted. Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.66,0:06:00.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,X-ray examination has also shown Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.14,0:06:02.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that Holbein repainted certain parts of the picture. Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.50,0:06:03.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Originally: Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.46,0:06:06.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the wall on the right, with all its paraphernalia, was not there, Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.94,0:06:09.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Gisze was looking to the right, Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.40,0:06:12.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the side on which - since the earliest pictures of Adam and Eve Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.28,0:06:14.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- wives had invariably been placed. Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.86,0:06:20.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And so there are many reasons to believe that his portrait was meant to be one of a pair, Dialogue: 0,0:06:20.74,0:06:22.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with his wife’s portrait in the traditional position on the right. Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.16,0:06:27.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And yet Holbein retouched the canvas Dialogue: 0,0:06:27.16,0:06:32.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and confined Gisze within a cramped and cluttered space. Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.32,0:06:34.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the fact that his eight other portraits of Steelyard merchants are rather different: Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.70,0:06:39.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,makes this even stranger Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.92,0:06:42.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are far fewer objects in this portrait of Dirk Tybis, Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.52,0:06:46.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who seems bent on keeping himself to himself. Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.04,0:06:51.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Wrapped in his voluminous coat, Herman Wedigh regards us calmly. Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.66,0:06:58.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He is obviously sure of his own worth, and needs no props to prove it. Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.98,0:07:03.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And Derich Born displays all the pride and arrogance of youth, Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.02,0:07:07.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as he looks us straight in the eye, leaning on a balustrade Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.36,0:07:09.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in a pose worthy of an Italian prince… Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.96,0:07:15.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No other picture in the series is as big or as crowded as the Gisze - in short, as blatantly out to impress! Dialogue: 0,0:07:15.38,0:07:18.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why is Holbein so keen to dazzle us? Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.72,0:07:23.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why is Holbein so keen to dazzle us? Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.13,0:07:25.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Part 3. You can’t take it with you! Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.62,0:07:32.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Gisze’s portrait was the first in the series, and it has been suggested Dialogue: 0,0:07:32.12,0:07:35.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that Holbein was playing the salesman Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.56,0:07:37.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- and putting all his wares in the window! Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.22,0:07:39.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this isn’t the whole story. Dialogue: 0,0:07:41.06,0:07:44.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Henry VIII has turned against Sir Thomas More, his patron - Dialogue: 0,0:07:44.18,0:07:49.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,forcing Holbein to quit the court and look to the rising middle class for new clients. Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.10,0:07:52.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Portraits of men engaged in their profession were a relatively new thing. Dialogue: 0,0:07:54.14,0:07:55.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Previously, portraits distinguishing a class were easy Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.54,0:08:00.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,noblemen never work, and a fine pair of gloves will label them instantly, Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.76,0:08:06.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,books for scholars, Dialogue: 0,0:08:06.12,0:08:08.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and instruments for scientists. Dialogue: 0,0:08:10.10,0:08:13.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now these new-style merchants, with their new-made wealth, Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.96,0:08:20.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,also want the world to see the tools of their trade... Dialogue: 0,0:08:20.10,0:08:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and be left in no doubt that they’ve made it. Dialogue: 0,0:08:25.04,0:08:29.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this display of wealth still raises one problem, Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.96,0:08:33.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,since some people may see Holbein’s Gisze as an example Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.70,0:08:34.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- best avoided! Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.68,0:08:38.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, the Baltic merchants have a stern religious code Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.72,0:08:41.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- and showing off like this may offend them. Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.52,0:08:47.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Even religious artworks are being destroyed in some places by Protestants who think them too opulent Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.44,0:08:49.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- and as such blasphemous Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.48,0:08:52.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which is why the Steelyard merchants want Holbein Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.62,0:08:55.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to paint them a large fresco for their hall, whose subject, “The Triumph of Poverty” Dialogue: 0,0:08:55.30,0:08:58.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,almost implies that they are asking God’s pardon Dialogue: 0,0:08:58.94,0:09:01.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,… Dialogue: 0,0:09:01.34,0:09:03.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for having their own portraits painted. Dialogue: 0,0:09:04.94,0:09:08.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Both merchants and bankers also have a taste for pictures Dialogue: 0,0:09:08.02,0:09:09.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,… Dialogue: 0,0:09:09.84,0:09:11.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which satirise their callings: Dialogue: 0,0:09:12.10,0:09:14.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Holbein insists that, love money as we may, Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.52,0:09:17.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,death will still take it in the end! Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.78,0:09:20.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This picture, too, uses caricature to convey the same message: Dialogue: 0,0:09:20.98,0:09:22.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,money-grubbing avarice Dialogue: 0,0:09:22.74,0:09:28.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has permanently deformed the faces of these two grotesque bankers. Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.76,0:09:31.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the wife in this portrait Dialogue: 0,0:09:31.58,0:09:35.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,seems more interested in making sure that her banker husband gets his sums right Dialogue: 0,0:09:35.08,0:09:39.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than in reading her prayerbook, Dialogue: 0,0:09:40.14,0:09:41.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even though the man discreetly reflected in the mirror Dialogue: 0,0:09:41.58,0:09:43.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is pointing to a steeple outside the window, Dialogue: 0,0:09:43.76,0:09:46.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,reminding her that eternal salvation is what matters Dialogue: 0,0:09:46.94,0:09:51.26,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- and not this pair of scales, which is used to weigh gold. Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.92,0:09:55.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A similar pair of scales turns up in Gisze’s portrait. Dialogue: 0,0:09:55.42,0:09:58.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Is this a reference to the scales… Dialogue: 0,0:09:58.18,0:10:03.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,…on which souls are weighed at the last judgment? Dialogue: 0,0:10:04.42,0:10:07.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If it is, Gisze’s soul may already have been weighed, Dialogue: 0,0:10:07.94,0:10:13.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,since one pan hangs far below the other! Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.30,0:10:17.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can decide for ourselves what this means for him Dialogue: 0,0:10:17.34,0:10:19.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,… Dialogue: 0,0:10:19.04,0:10:20.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,- but should always remember Dialogue: 0,0:10:20.62,0:10:23.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle Dialogue: 0,0:10:23.72,0:10:25.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”. Dialogue: 0,0:10:27.80,0:10:33.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ArtSleuth next episode : Bruegel – A Merchant looking down on peasants? Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.07,0:10:40.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Find more about the series on: www.artsleuth.net Dialogue: 0,0:10:40.37,0:10:42.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Written & directed by Dialogue: 0,0:10:42.57,0:10:44.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Produced by Dialogue: 0,0:10:44.76,0:10:46.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Scientific expert Dialogue: 0,0:10:46.93,0:10:49.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Special thanks to Dialogue: 0,0:10:49.13,0:10:51.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Voice / English adaptation Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.30,0:10:53.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Editing & Visual effects by Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.50,0:10:55.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Post-production / Sound Dialogue: 0,0:10:55.67,0:10:57.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Music Supervisor Dialogue: 0,0:10:57.86,0:11:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Music Dialogue: 0,0:11:00.00,0:11:02.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Special Thanks – English subtitles : Vincent Nash Dialogue: 0,0:11:02.20,0:11:02.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A CED Production