Michel le Tellier c. 17th century

Curator: This is Robert Nanteuil's portrait of Michel le Tellier. I see such a quiet confidence in his gaze, like he knows a secret and is deciding whether to share it. Editor: The portrait certainly captures an air of bourgeois respectability, but within the context of 17th-century France, Le Tellier was a key architect of Louis XIV's absolutist policies, which had devastating effects on religious minorities, particularly the Huguenots. Curator: That's a heavy responsibility. It almost humanizes him to imagine the weight of those decisions reflected in his eyes, don't you think? Editor: Perhaps. Though I'm more interested in how Nanteuil's portrait contributes to the construction of power, visually legitimizing Le Tellier's role within the French court. Curator: Fair enough. Still, I can't help but wonder what he was thinking... Editor: And I wonder what narratives are deliberately omitted.