Portret van Andrea Mantegna 1682

This is Nicolas de Larmessin’s portrait of Andrea Mantegna, made sometime in the 17th century. As a portrait of a renaissance artist by a baroque engraver, it's a study in the construction of artistic legacy, of how one generation interprets and represents another. Mantegna is presented with the trappings of a learned man: flowing hair, classical robes, and an introspective gaze. Larmessin was part of a family of engravers who were members of the Académie Royale, established to define artistic standards in France. This portrait reflects the Academy's investment in creating a lineage of great artists, which in turn legitimized their own practices. Larmessin's Mantegna is not just an individual, but a symbol of artistic genius, carefully curated and presented to uphold a certain vision of art history. In it we can still see the emotional resonance of one artist reaching across time to connect with another.