Louis, Eldest Son of the King of France 1745 - 1765

Curator: This is Johann Georg Wille's engraving of Louis, Eldest Son of the King of France. It resides here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: He looks...well, a bit like he's been told to stand up straight for a photo he doesn't want to take. Curator: The Dauphin was probably quite used to posing, it was part of the job description! Wille was a master engraver, and this piece really shows off his skill with line and detail. Think about the political function of this image, circulating an ideal of royal authority. Editor: It’s amazing how an artist can capture this feeling of reluctant duty...it's almost a premonition, given what the French monarchy was heading towards. Maybe that's just me projecting, though. Curator: Perhaps. But history does tend to rhyme, doesn't it? It's worth contemplating how even seemingly straightforward portraits can carry so many layers of meaning. Editor: Absolutely. It makes you wonder what he was really thinking behind that stoic facade. Art, after all, is all about seeing what’s beneath the surface.