Portrait de Charles Boucher d’Orsay, prévôt des marchands de 1700 à 1708 1702

Editor: This is Nicolas de Largillière’s "Portrait de Charles Boucher d’Orsay, prévôt des marchands de 1700 à 1708," painted in 1702. The oil-paint gives the subject’s elaborate wig and velvet robe a real sense of texture. How would you interpret this portrait in its historical context? Curator: Well, first, let’s think about what it meant to be a "prévôt des marchands" in 1702. D'Orsay held a significant position, yes, but his portrait needs to be unpacked with regards to French absolutism under Louis XIV, a system where the state exerted extreme financial control over the merchant class. This isn't merely a depiction of an individual, but the display of power through him. Consider also that wig. What do you read in that conspicuous marker of social class and status? Editor: I see it as pure ornamentation, something visually impressive but maybe also a symbol of excess. It draws the eye in to meet d'Orsay's gaze. Curator: Exactly. The portrait aestheticizes the mechanisms of wealth accumulation of that period. What stories about the socio-economic conditions and hierarchies do you think the artist and sitter may be silently revealing, or intentionally obscuring? Editor: I never thought about portraiture in terms of deliberate concealment. I suppose that, for d'Orsay and Largillière, acknowledging such deep social issues wouldn't have been appropriate given the conditions of their patronage? It provides a totally different way of looking at art! Curator: Precisely. Examining art this way encourages dialogue between aesthetics, historical critique and even contemporary sociological observation. This can empower new approaches and narratives. Editor: Thanks. I'll never see a portrait the same way again.