Pierre Seguir 1678

Editor: This is Robert Nanteuil's portrait of Pierre Séguier. It's a very formal image. I wonder about the symbols used to convey his status. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: Note the frame: the inscription, "FRANCIA CANCELLARIVS PETRVS SEGUIERIVS," names Séguier as Chancellor of France. The prominent cross and the heraldic shield are important symbols. Editor: Right, they speak to his power and position. What does it mean to be the Chancellor of France at the time? Curator: Consider what symbols endure, and what they communicate in different eras. What do you think this portrait says about the values of the court and its cultural memory? Editor: It really pushes me to consider how symbols translate and change over time, and to think about what cultural memories are. Curator: Precisely. It is important to ask what continuities and changes in such cultural symbols exist.