Charles Benoise 1651

Curator: Robert Nanteuil, who lived from 1623 to 1678, created this portrait of Charles Benoise. It has such a somber quality. Editor: There's a starkness to the execution, isn't there? Look at the way the lines are etched, probably into copper. Curator: Absolutely. The subject's clothing subtly conveys his position, but I'm more interested in unpacking ideas around power and social identity it suggests. Who was Benoise in relation to the artist and to society? Editor: A fascinating question, especially considering the labor involved in such detailed engraving. The social conditions of artistic production are essential. Curator: True. Thinking about it from the perspective of Nanteuil, as an artist and a man, he was also subject to societal constraints. Editor: Yes, and those lines, however precise, are never neutral. Curator: This piece is a window into a complex social dynamic, then. Editor: Indeed. It reminds us that even portraiture involves so much more than likeness.