"The Son of the Pope" from The Complete Works of Béranger 1836

Here we see J.J. Grandville's lithograph, "The Son of the Pope" from The Complete Works of Béranger. A pope sits enthroned, addressing a soldier who stands before him. The piece operates through a striking contrast of textures, with the dense hatching that defines the pope's robes, juxtaposed against the smoother lines of the soldier's uniform. The composition divides the space unevenly, drawing our eye to the visual tension between the sacred and the secular. Consider how Grandville uses these formal elements not just to depict, but to destabilize. By presenting these figures in such proximity, and with the soldier looming over the pope, Grandville disrupts traditional hierarchies. What are we to make of this implied relationship? It challenges fixed meanings, inviting us to consider the complex interplay between power, authority, and representation. It opens a space for questioning the very structures that define these roles.