Portret van een onbekende man, getiteld L'abbé de Montgaillard 1792 - 1849

François Louis Couché made this print of an unknown man, titled L'abbé de Montgaillard, at an unknown date. The print is interesting, not so much for the quality of the work itself, but for the way it shows the cultural politics of portraiture in France after the revolution. Prints were a popular medium in nineteenth-century France, and portraits like these were affordable ways for people to display their allegiances. Though the print is titled as being of L'abbé de Montgaillard, it's uncertain whether this is true. What is clear is that the work invites the viewer to ponder the status of the church during a period of upheaval. It represents a moment in time when institutions like the church were being questioned. Art historical research into the archives of the Rijksmuseum and other collections, alongside studies of post-revolutionary French society, help us to understand the work better. These resources allow us to place the work within the context of the time.