Portret van Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux aan zijn schrijftafel 1706

This is Pierre Drevet’s portrait of Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux, made using engraving. The portrait depicts the sitter at his writing table. Boileau was more than a writer; he was a courtier, deeply embedded in the social and political structures of his time. Boileau's identity as a man of letters was intertwined with his position in the French court. His writings reflected and shaped the values of the aristocracy, and his involvement in literary debates mirrored the power struggles of the era. The very act of portraying him at his writing table speaks to the image he cultivated, that of a thoughtful, influential figure. The trappings of wealth and status – the elaborate wig, the fine garments – communicate his status. It is easy to imagine Boileau declaring, like many of his contemporaries, that "the world is a stage," and we are merely players. Consider how Boileau, through his writings and his carefully constructed image, played his part on that stage. The portrait invites us to consider the interplay between personal identity, social role, and artistic expression.