Jean-Baptiste Budes, comte de Guébriant 1655

Robert Nanteuil created this engraving of Jean-Baptiste Budes, comte de Guébriant, in the 17th century, a period marked by rigid social hierarchies and the consolidation of power in the French monarchy. Nanteuil was a prominent portraitist, capturing the likenesses of the French elite. Guébriant's attire, hairstyle, and the inscription denoting his titles, signal his noble status within a society deeply stratified by class. What does it mean to have your image circulated, what power does that hold? The count’s youthful features and the soft rendering of his curls contrast with the formality of his garments, hinting at the tensions between individual identity and social role. Nanteuil's engravings contributed to the construction of identity, reinforcing societal norms while also allowing for subtle expressions of individuality. This portrait of Jean-Baptiste Budes invites us to consider the interplay between personal identity and social position, and the ways in which artists participate in shaping our understanding of the self.