The Triumph of the Duc d'Angoulême 1825 - 1827

Editor: This is Pierre-Jean David d'Angers' "The Triumph of the Duc d'Angoulême," a drawing at the Harvard Art Museums. It looks like a celebration, a procession perhaps? What do you make of it? Curator: It's interesting to consider this work as a snapshot of power dynamics. The Duc's triumph is inseparable from the history of Bourbon restoration, reflecting the social and political upheavals of the time. How does the artist portray the relationship between the Duc and the people? Editor: It seems idealized, very staged. Almost like propaganda. Curator: Exactly! The piece can be viewed as a commentary on legitimizing power through spectacle, raising questions about whose stories are being told and whose are being erased. Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Art is always more than meets the eye.