Portrait of Jacques Laurens de Waru 1914

Raimundo de Madrazo captured Jacques Laurens de Waru in what appears to be an intimate moment, defined by symbols of worldly pleasure and status. Note the nonchalant way he holds the cigarette. The cigarette, a relatively new accoutrement at the time, speaks volumes of shifting social mores and the growing culture of leisure. The flower on his lapel, not unlike the vanitas paintings of the Dutch Golden Age, serves as a reminder of the fleeting nature of beauty and existence. Consider how the symbolism of smoking evolved; from its ritualistic use in indigenous cultures to its adoption as a sign of sophistication in European society. We see the cigarette as a symbol of rebellion in 1950's Hollywood, and now, it's a cautionary emblem of health risks. This portrait shows how each era reshapes these emblems, imbuing them with its own desires and anxieties. We are left to wonder, what new masks will these ancient symbols don in the theater of history?