Portret van François Fénelon 1748 - 1765

Pierre Dupin created this print of François Fénelon in France in the first half of the 18th century. The image presents us with a member of the clergy, an Archbishop, framed in an oval, sitting above a pedestal with his name and title. The image is a product of the institutional structures of the church, and the visual codes of the French court. It presents us with an idealised image of a figure of authority at a time when the church and state were closely linked. France was a deeply religious country, and the church played a central role in the lives of most people. The print is a powerful symbol of the social and political order of the time. To fully understand an image like this, historians will turn to archival sources to understand the social and institutional context in which it was made. This allows us to interpret the role of art and visual culture in shaping social norms.