Portret van Benoit de Maillet 1737

J.G. de la Croix made this print of Benoit de Maillet, a French diplomat and natural historian. He lived during the Enlightenment, a time when European thinkers began to question traditional ideas. De Maillet served as a French consul in Egypt and other parts of North Africa and the Middle East. His position gave him access to different cultures and allowed him to study the natural world. We can see this is reflected in the armor, as the artist uses it to highlight the ‘exoticness’ of Maillet’s position, but perhaps to emphasize Maillet’s authority as well. His most famous work, "Telliamed," presented radical ideas about the Earth's formation and the evolution of life, ideas that challenged religious views. Though published anonymously, his theories proposed that life originated in the sea and gradually evolved over millions of years. De Maillet’s theories reflect an early challenge to established religious and scientific doctrines and opened up conversations about the nature of existence. This portrait offers a glimpse into a life lived at the intersection of diplomacy, exploration, and intellectual curiosity, reflecting the complexities of identity and knowledge during a period of profound transformation.