Portret van Robert Gaguin 1682

This is Nicolas de Larmessin's engraving of Robert Gaguin, made in France during the late 17th century. Engravings like this one served a vital public role at the time, functioning as a kind of social media. Larmessin was part of a dynasty of printmakers who specialized in portraits of prominent people such as clergy, royals, and scholars. Here, Gaguin is identified as a member of the Order of the Trinity, recognizable by the cross on his cape. With his pen and book, the portrait represents Gaguin as a man of learning. Such printed images helped to constitute collective identities by circulating images of important people within specific social groups. They were powerful tools for self-fashioning, defining the visible attributes of social status and prestige within institutions and networks. To understand this image better, we might study the history of French printmaking or look into the archives of the Order of the Trinity. Only then can we begin to appreciate the social and institutional contexts of this portrait.