Portret van Benedictus XIII 1755 - 1765

This is René Gaillard's ‘Portrait of Benedictus XIII’, made sometime between 1714 and 1790. The print presents the Pope within an oval frame, offering a study in contrasts and formal arrangements. The artist has employed a high level of detail to capture the textures and patterns of the Pope’s vestments, using a dense network of lines to model form and suggest depth. The circular frame around Benedictus XIII disrupts the surrounding orthogonal lines of the rectangular format. This contrast highlights the central figure. The heraldic shield beneath the portrait serves as a semiotic device, encoding the Pope's lineage and status through symbolic forms. Gaillard's work operates within the representational conventions of portraiture while engaging with signifiers of power and identity. The image, therefore, becomes not just a likeness but an interpretation of authority, rendered through a dialogue of visual and symbolic languages.