The Capricious Queen c. 18th century

Curator: This is Louis Michel Halbou’s "The Capricious Queen," a small engraving. Look at the texture he achieves with just lines! Editor: There's a distinct sense of drama, of power dynamics at play. This queen certainly holds court, doesn't she? Curator: Absolutely. Halbou's technique is rooted in traditional printmaking, producing multiples for wider consumption and distribution during that era. Editor: It speaks to the limited agency of women, perhaps, where even queens were constrained by societal expectations and political realities. The expectations of motherhood are implicit in the child being presented to her. Curator: Indeed, and it reflects on the labour of producing and reproducing the social order, if we consider this image's role in circulating narratives about power. Editor: Looking at it this way really shows how art acts as a material record of cultural expectations and power structures, even within seemingly lighthearted scenes.