Louis XIII, roi de France 1605 - 1650

Curator: This engraving presents us with Louis XIII, King of France, dating roughly from 1605 to 1650. The print, now residing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, offers a regal depiction. Editor: My first thought is somber authority, and the monochrome scheme adds to the weightiness. Look at the incredibly detailed textures achieved just through line work! It's impressive. Curator: The use of engraving, particularly during this period, reflects more than artistic choices; it shows a specific means of circulating power and images of authority. Note the inscription that forms a kind of border – tracing those words reveals that this work celebrates his kingship as ordained by God. It reinforces Louis' divine right to rule. Editor: The choice of framing him with an inscription also reinforces the message and allows for the image to function almost like an icon, which amplifies its propagandistic weight. We understand how portraits act as stand-ins, almost religious in their visual power, in much the same way, and at that historical moment in particular. The symbols of power are very clear in this image. Curator: Exactly, and thinking materially, prints were easier to disseminate compared to, say, an oil painting. Consider the labor involved—the engraver's skill in translating the likeness into lines, the paper's production, the physical act of printing. Each stage contributed to the final object and its socio-political function. Editor: We tend to forget about the repetitive acts involved in artistic creation, because we mostly think about these things as being totally divinely inspired or not the result of repetitive physical practices or technical things to make it replicable. Seeing it more replicable can affect or distract from an interpretation of symbolism sometimes. But I find those borders a clever visual frame reinforcing dynastic authority as coming from somewhere eternal. Curator: Indeed. Considering both the imagery and material process reveals this print as a carefully constructed artifact meant to broadcast royal authority across Louis XIII’s realm. Editor: It's fascinating how intertwined image and material become when trying to comprehend the impact this work must have had.