Portret van Claude le Blanc 1696 - 1727

Matthijs Pool created this portrait of Claude le Blanc using engraving. The artwork provides a window into the performance of identity and power during the 17th and 18th centuries. Le Blanc is depicted with a flowing wig and elaborate clothing, symbols of status and affluence within the European elite. How did norms around masculinity affect the ways men were represented? The portrait embodies the social and cultural values of the time, even as it reflects personal experiences and beliefs of the sitter and the artist. Note how the act of creating and displaying portraits, whether painted or engraved, helped to solidify social hierarchies, while simultaneously allowing individuals to craft their public image. This image invites us to consider the dialogues between individual expression, social expectations, and historical representation, which are continually at play in portraiture.