Portret van Jean-Antoine Rigoley de Juvigny 1765

Simon Charles Miger created this engraving titled "Portret van Jean-Antoine Rigoley de Juvigny". Miger was a product of the Enlightenment, a period defined by the rise of individualism and reason. The portrait depicts Jean-Antoine Rigoley de Juvigny, a counselor in the Parliament of Metz. The framing of the image in a classical oval shape, the inscription, and the man’s powdered wig, evoke the status and social conventions of 18th-century France. Note that while the French Revolution was ushering in new social norms, portraiture was largely reserved for the elite, reflecting hierarchies of class and power. As we consider this portrait, think about the role of art in constructing and maintaining social identity. Whose stories are told, and whose are left out? How do these images shape our understanding of history, and what can they tell us about the personal dimensions of life in a bygone era?