Portret van Louis-Emmanuel de Valois, graaf van Alais en hertog van Angoulême 1755 - 1765

Claude Mellan created this engraving, "Portret van Louis-Emmanuel de Valois, graaf van Alais en hertog van Angoulême", which now resides in the Rijksmuseum. Mellan, who lived from 1598 to 1688, operated in a society deeply shaped by aristocratic power. This portrait offers us a glimpse into the visual language of status and nobility in seventeenth-century France. Louis-Emmanuel de Valois, a man of considerable title, is presented not just as an individual, but as a figure embodying the privileges of birth and class. Mellan’s technique, using a single line to create the image, enhances the sense of precision and control, mirroring the social hierarchies of the time. Consider how portraiture functioned then. It wasn't merely about capturing a likeness; it was about constructing and reinforcing identity and power. What does it mean to have your image circulated in this way? And what does it mean for us, centuries later, to gaze upon this carefully crafted representation of a man whose identity was so intertwined with his social position?