Frontispiece to Pierre d'Hozier's "Les noms surnoms qualitez armes et blasons des chevaliers de l'Ordre du Sainct Esprit" with Louis XIII dubbing a nobleman kneeling before him, in the presence of several other noblemen 1634

This is Abraham Bosse’s print for the frontispiece to Pierre d'Hozier's "Les noms surnoms qualitez armes et blasons des chevaliers de l'Ordre du Sainct Esprit," or The Names, Surnames, Qualities, Arms, and Blazons of the Knights of the Order of the Holy Spirit. The print depicts Louis XIII bestowing knighthood onto a kneeling nobleman. Bosse, working in 17th-century France, was deeply engaged with representing the era’s social structures, particularly the aristocracy. This image, more than just a record, visualizes the power dynamics of the French court. The Order of the Holy Spirit was the most prestigious chivalric order in France. The act of bestowing knighthood was not merely ceremonial but a very public display of power, loyalty, and social stratification. The print reveals the gendered nature of power, as women are absent from this exclusive order. The emotional weight of the scene lies in the embodied experience of submission and elevation, reflecting the personal and political bonds that held the French aristocracy together.