François Louis de Bourbon, Prince de Conti 1700

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this striking engraving by Pierre Drevet, depicting François Louis de Bourbon, Prince de Conti. Editor: Oh, the Prince practically shimmers! Look at that pose, so self-assured. It’s like he’s daring us to question his power. Curator: Drevet, born in 1663, was a master of the burin, and the level of detail he achieves here speaks to a deep understanding of the printing process and its relationship to social status. The work exists as both an aesthetic object and a document of power. Editor: You know, I find it strangely intimate despite the grandeur. It is as though he is trying to tell me a story. Curator: Indeed, and that story involves not only the Prince himself but the very means by which his image was disseminated and consumed. Editor: It is quite haunting, I must say. Curator: For sure, the Prince and the engraver managed to capture a fleeting moment in time with such precision.