Portret van Rudolf van Frankrijk 1728 - 1780

François Antoine Aveline created this print of Rudolf, or Raoul, King of France, sometime in the mid-18th century. It’s an engraving, a printmaking process that was a popular means of disseminating imagery at the time. The image presents us with a profile of the medieval king, his crown, and the illusion of a stone plinth—a common way of honoring figures in the 1700s. France was under the rule of its own King, Louis XV, at this time. By the 1700s, the French monarchy had a complex relationship with its own history. Rudolf, who ruled in the 10th century, was not a direct ancestor of Louis, but images like this one could suggest a kind of shared glory and power. Aveline’s print may have even been made for a history book, a sign of the growth of public knowledge and the institutions that shaped it. As art historians, we look to sources such as period books and other artworks to get a sense of the cultural and political meaning behind images like this one. The image speaks to the way the French monarchy tried to make itself look powerful by creating a connection with the past.