Medaillons met portretten van Armane Béjart, Jean Baptiste Poquelin Molière en Madeleine Béjart after 1863

Curator: This drawing, created after 1863 by Jules Armand Hanriot, brings together three fascinating figures. It's entitled "Medaillons met portretten van Armande Béjart, Jean Baptiste Poquelin Molière en Madeleine Béjart" - quite a mouthful, but perfectly descriptive. Editor: It certainly is descriptive! My immediate reaction is a sense of restrained elegance, almost melancholic. The portraits, rendered in pencil, have a beautiful delicacy, a sort of faded grandeur. They almost float against the plain backdrop. Curator: I agree. Hanriot's choice of pencil lends itself well to the classical style of academic art and the sitters have such distinctive personas: the thoughtful repose of Molière, sandwiched between the more severe profiles of the Béjart sisters. Editor: Yes, those profiles! Looking at them, I’m struck by the enduring power of the cameo and medallic forms. They feel archetypal. These portraits of artists become symbols themselves, representations of an era, but also hinting at timeless dramas and societal mirrors—the family and the troupe as interconnected theatrical stages, a web of professional collaboration as well as blood relation. Curator: An excellent point. One sees the almost familial entanglement within the most famous theater company in history...The work invites the observer to interpret more than meets the eye... Editor: I wonder, did Hanriot consider using another medium? A bronze cast would suggest wealth. Oil on panel suggests importance. But with pencil, it suggests an intimate glance into memory and preservation through posterity. A ghostly intimacy permeates from its faded character. Curator: And Hanriot clearly admired them all...The trio had powerful reputations, all earned with the success of their creative company and personal connections and their faces live again through Jules Armand Hanriot´s dedication. The images now provide insight and inspiration through art... Editor: The subtle pencil shading captures each character perfectly, creating both artistic interpretations and powerful social images within cultural memory. Fascinating. Curator: Indeed. I am inspired. Thank you!