Antoine de Singlin 1745

Curator: This is Johann Georg Wille's "Antoine de Singlin," a portrait engraving of a prominent 17th-century French priest. Editor: It's…intimate, almost. The oval frame softens the formality, and his gaze feels surprisingly direct, like he's about to share a secret. Curator: Indeed, Wille positions Singlin within the Jansenist movement, a controversial theological current emphasizing individual conscience against hierarchical church authority. Editor: You can sense that tension in his eyes, that delicate balance of piety and defiance. It makes me wonder what stories he carried. Curator: His role as a confessor surely placed him at the heart of complex personal narratives within the convent he oversaw. Editor: Seeing this, I'm reminded that even historical figures were individuals navigating turbulent times. Curator: Precisely. By examining this work, we can explore themes of religious dissent and the power of individual belief.