Epitaaf van baron de Besenval in Parijs 1738 - 1749

This is Gabriel Huquier's print of the Epitaph of Baron de Besenval in Paris. The print gives a detailed rendering of the marble and bronze memorial dedicated to the Baron. Huquier, working in the 18th century, was part of a society deeply entrenched in aristocratic privilege. The Baron de Besenval was a Swiss mercenary and courtier, whose life was one of service to the French monarchy, a monarchy that wielded immense power over its people. Epitaphs such as this functioned as public assertions of power and remembrance. The portrait medallion surrounded by laurel leaves and topped with a decorative urn, alongside the Baron's coat of arms, speaks to the visual language of status. But these grand displays also invite us to consider the lives and labor of those excluded from such representation. Consider the social disparities that such displays of wealth would have signified in pre-revolution France. These memorials offer insight into the way the elite wished to be remembered and the values they sought to uphold.