Portret van Filips I 1812 - 1869

Jacques Etienne Pannier created this portrait of Filips I with etching and drypoint. Notice the way the linear precision of Pannier’s etching defines the king's regal garments, contrasting with the drypoint technique used to render the face. This combination creates a textured contrast between the smoothness of power and the ruggedness of the individual. The composition, tightly cropped around Philip, directs our focus to his face, framed by the symbols of his authority. Here, the fleur-de-lis on the scepter serves as a sign, a coded cultural marker instantly communicating monarchy and divine right. The details of the crown and robe are not merely decorative; they are a constructed semiotic system designed to convey power. Pannier challenges the viewer to decode the language of power represented within the frame. Consider how Pannier uses the structure of portraiture itself. The medium allows Pannier to deconstruct and redefine traditional notions of power, inviting us to interpret, rather than passively accept, the symbols before us.