Portret van Lodewijk XIII, koning van Frankrijk 1786 - 1808

This print portrays Louis XIII, King of France, and comes from the French School. This era was marked by the consolidation of absolute monarchy in France, deeply influencing artistic expression as the court became a major patron of the arts. Here, Louis XIII is presented in a manner intended to convey power and authority; the armor he wears is less about the battlefield, and more a symbol of his divinely ordained right to rule. Note the gaze, which attempts to meet the viewer’s with an air of command. It’s easy to see this image solely as an artifact of royal portraiture, yet it’s equally fascinating to consider the lives and experiences of those connected to its creation, like the engraver François Guibert, whose skill brought this image into being, and the myriad of individuals who would have encountered it. What remains is an intimate, yet public, intersection between power, representation, and the human touch, echoing through the halls of history and resonating even now.