Porträt des Duc Louis-Emmanuel de Valois 

Robert Nanteuil rendered this sanguine chalk portrait of the Duc Louis-Emmanuel de Valois in 17th century France. The Duc's image reflects the codes of aristocratic masculinity at the time: from the carefully arranged long hair to the nascent moustache and goatee and the rather impassive demeanor, he presents a picture of studied composure. Nanteuil, as an artist, served the Bourbon monarchy, an institution that carefully cultivated its image through portraiture. The French court of the period exerted a strong control over fashion and culture. Likenesses of the elite circulated as prints, establishing norms of appearance, and reinforcing social hierarchies. Art historians consult sources like fashion plates, etiquette manuals, and court documents, to understand these kinds of representations. When we examine this portrait in the context of such documents, we can better understand the construction of power in early modern France.