Kroon van Lodewijk XV after 25

Curator: Look at this print – “Kroon van Lodewijk XV” or Crown of Louis XV. The inscription suggests it’s a depiction of the crown used at his coronation. Notice it is “after 25” meaning this drawing was probably produced to document it. Editor: It glitters even in print. You can feel the weight of it. The symmetry is striking, almost imposing. I wonder about the craftsmanship. Was this drawing meant to capture the crown's design as an exercise in exquisite artisanship? Curator: That's interesting because while the aesthetic is baroque with its elaborate ornamentation, the very act of creating and distributing this print serves a specific social function. Editor: Right, so you see this image circulating as a method of propagating power or documenting national treasures. But couldn't the emphasis be both symbolic and deeply rooted in materiality? I’m captivated by the level of detail. Think of the lapidaries, goldsmiths and engravers needed for the coronation regalia and printmaking process, what their labor would be worth. The print reduces their labor to a piece of royal ephemera. Curator: Exactly. Consider the cost to the French populace. Who benefits from displaying this sort of ostentatious power and to what political end? This print broadcast an image of Louis XV at the height of his power in France. In addition, it’s carefully produced at this size—to display accurately all its parts—not only as adornment but as symbols of royal authority, wealth and right to rule. Editor: Absolutely, what an insight into the system and those subjugated to produce what they may never use. By zooming in to the jewels in all their constructed glory, we realize these symbols are not only visual experiences, but a statement on what power chooses to showcase, obscuring labor involved in the process. Curator: Precisely. The political image crafted through dissemination transforms an exclusive object into a tool to influence society. I agree, analyzing visual experience unveils an art ecosystem, where value is collectively assigned. Editor: I find myself seeing beyond the mere regal object to something which tells us a little more of its makers in a much larger scheme. The print gives tangible form to this system for our analysis.