Portret van Jean Maximilien Lamarque 1832

Curator: Up next we have a print of Jean Maximilien Lamarque. Antoine Maurin completed the engraving in 1832. Editor: My first thought? Intense. There's this sort of…regal rigidity to his posture. But then his eyes hint at something softer, maybe even a little melancholic? Curator: Lamarque was a rather fascinating figure. He was a French soldier and politician, quite popular with the working class. I think Maurin here manages to really capture that duality, that mix of power and…vulnerability, perhaps? Editor: Definitely a man of the people, wouldn't you agree? His politics aside, look at the way the light falls on the medal across his chest, but then it almost seems to retreat from his face. There's a subtle dynamism in that contrast, between, shall we say, a glittering world and the interior life of a man who seems at odds with his time. Curator: It’s quite typical of Romanticism actually, this focus on the individual, the emotional weight. Think of other history paintings that came before… where leaders and battles and big gestures were dominant. And it makes me think about who we choose to commemorate. Editor: Mmh. He has this very knowing expression. I bet this print circulated far and wide. Who saw this portrait of Lamarque, do you think, and how did they react? A portrait can become a battleground. It can embody hopes and grievances… This image says so much about France, at that moment, in all its conflicted glory. Curator: Absolutely! The way Maurin rendered Lamarque suggests a kind of strength but in a fragile way – knowing full well, perhaps, that the man’s legend could be reinterpreted at any moment. We’re projecting onto it still, here in the museum. Isn't that fascinating? Editor: A reminder that historical figures never really settle into one definitive story. Even an image, captured in ink, continues to change with each new viewing. It’s an honor to reflect upon it, actually.