Pierre Dupuis, Painter to the King 1663

Antoine Masson created this print of Pierre Dupuis, Painter to the King, using engraving. The composition, encased in an oval frame, immediately draws us into a play of textures and light. The contrasting textures—from the fur hat to the soft velvet coat, and the metallic chain—create a rich visual experience. Dupuis’s confident gaze and posture, combined with the trappings of wealth and status, speak to the era's concerns with representation and identity. The engraving technique itself, with its precise lines and tonal gradations, reflects a desire to capture the material world accurately but also to elevate the sitter to an almost symbolic status. Masson’s manipulation of light and shadow isn't just descriptive; it's a careful construction of an image that invites the viewer to consider the relationship between the subject, the artist, and the mechanics of representation itself. The circular frame is reminiscent of a mirror, a symbol that destabilizes fixed meanings, or engages with new ways of thinking about space, perception, and representation.