Portret van Lodewijk XIV als een leeuw, 1672 1672

This is Romeyn de Hooghe’s 1672 engraving, "Portret van Lodewijk XIV als een leeuw," or Portrait of Louis XIV as a Lion. This work emerges from a specific cultural and political milieu: the reign of Louis XIV, a period marked by the consolidation of royal power and the construction of an image of absolute authority. De Hooghe casts Louis XIV as a lion, an animal embodying qualities of strength and sovereignty, to explore ideas of power, masculinity, and identity. But we must ask, whose power and whose identity? What does it mean to embody the supposed "king of beasts"? This portrait participates in the construction of an identity and a history centered around the European male. Simultaneously, we are prompted to reflect on the politics of representation, considering how portraits function not only to depict but also to shape perceptions of identity. The work is an example of the politics of representation, which is never neutral. This piece prompts us to consider how art can reflect, reinforce, and also challenge societal norms. It pushes us to reflect on whose voices are amplified and whose are marginalized in the grand narratives of history.