Mr. de Voltaire 1765

This engraving of Monsieur de Voltaire was made by Stanislas Jean Boufflers. In it, we see Voltaire, the celebrated Enlightenment writer and philosopher, quill in hand, deeply immersed in thought at his desk. Voltaire was a figure who challenged the norms of his time, advocating for freedom of speech, religious tolerance, and separation of church and state. He was not afraid to use his words as weapons against injustice and oppression. As such his work became aligned with the French revolution. The image captures him in a moment of intense concentration. You can almost feel the weight of his thoughts as he crafts his arguments, challenging the status quo. Boufflers immortalizes the intellectual and political fervor that defined Voltaire's life and the broader Enlightenment era.