Portret van Jean Varin 1726 - 1764

This is Jean-Joseph Balechou’s print of Jean Varin, a fine example of French portraiture from the mid-18th century. Within its oval frame, Varin is depicted as a figure of status. His clothing and wig signal his place in society. But it is the institutional history of art that particularly interests me here. Consider the role of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Founded in 1648, it shaped artistic taste and training. Baléchou, as a member, worked within its structures. Prints like this circulated images of prominent individuals, reinforcing social hierarchies and artistic norms. The print market itself, though, was a space where those norms could be contested by the rise of different artistic and aesthetic sensibilities. To understand this work fully, we can delve into the archives of the Academy, study the print market of the time, and explore the biographies of both artist and sitter. These resources enable us to see how art reflects, and shapes, its world.