Study for the Equestrian Portrait of a Royal Personnage c. 1726 - 1733

Pierre Antoine Quillard sketched "Study for the Equestrian Portrait of a Royal Personnage," sometime in the early 18th century. Quillard, working in France during the reign of Louis XV, captures the monarchy's self-fashioning of power and prestige. This drawing, a preparatory sketch, offers insight into the visual language of authority. The royal figure, mounted high, surveys their domain with a gesture that commands attention. Yet, it's impossible to ignore the intricate lace and the meticulously crafted saddle; these details speak volumes about the era’s obsession with luxury and the conspicuous display of wealth. How might the artist have felt, portraying a system deeply rooted in inequality? The sketch invites us to consider the lives of those excluded from such displays of grandeur, the working class who bore the weight of this lavish lifestyle. It prompts a reflection on the stories that remain unseen, and the emotional distance between ruler and ruled.