Portret van Lodewijk XVI van Frankrijk 1815 - 1817

Curator: What strikes me about this delicate ink drawing, "Portret van Lodewijk XVI van Frankrijk" created sometime between 1815 and 1817 by Jacques Noël Marie Frémy, is how it captures the weight of history within a single profile. It is like holding cultural memory right in your hand. Editor: It certainly has an austere feel, almost as if it's been etched out rather than drawn. Look at the precision in the line work. Given the historical context, one might see Frémy using the neoclassical style not only to immortalize, but almost to dissect Louis XVI – to put a period on that reign. Curator: The artist really emphasized the Neoclassical elements. Notice how every detail in the ornamentation of the suit is depicted. How do you think such a detailed portrayal through an "old engraving style" evokes this historical moment? Editor: This feels less like commemoration and more like accounting. What ink was available to the artist during this time and in this geographic area? How would these have impacted the look of the work? Curator: That's fascinating. It begs the question whether those tools informed his decision, or did the need to record and account shape the craftsmanship? The choice of depicting Louis XVI in profile also reminds of classical coin portraits—further connecting him to ideals of the Roman Empire, ideals which the French Revolution initially claimed. Editor: Perhaps it's both. It speaks volumes about consumption too - access to material and techniques would have a specific social gradient. To render this particular former monarch requires some kind of labor and privilege. It is an amazing portrait. Curator: And it gives you so much to ponder—this man, Louis XVI, through Frémy's mark. Editor: It’s an eerie memento of history materialized through craft.