Portret van Hélène Lambert, Madame de Motteville

Pierre Drevet created this print of Hélène Lambert, Madame de Motteville, sometime between the late 17th and early 18th century. The image gives us a window into the social hierarchies of France under the absolute monarchy of Louis XIV. In the print, Madame de Motteville is dressed in the height of fashion and posed in a way that communicates both status and refined taste. Note the landscape setting, which suggests her family’s ownership of land, a key source of wealth and power at the time. The family’s coat-of-arms is prominently displayed, with the inscription detailing her titles received by birth and marriage. We also see a smaller dog included in the picture. Pet ownership among the aristocracy reflected one’s leisure time, but also the ways in which animals were seen as status symbols. By studying portraits like these and researching period documents, the art historian reconstructs the visual and social world of the past. The image opens up a world of insight into the norms, values, and power structures of the time.