Portret van Charles de Montmorency 1838 - 1841

Joseph Rebell created this portrait of Charles de Montmorency using a combination of etching and engraving. This print from the early 19th century revives the image of a 17th-century Duc de Montmorency, referencing French aristocratic power from a bygone era. We must remember that Rebell was working in a Europe where older forms of hereditary authority were being challenged by new social forces, following the French Revolution. The portrait revives an image of aristocratic power at a time of growing social and political change in France. It idealizes the image of Charles de Montmorency through the lens of history. To understand this work fully, we might explore the ways in which French elites sought to establish a sense of historical legitimacy in the face of revolutionary upheaval. We can consider how art institutions were instrumental in that process.