Portret van Henri Edgeworth de Firmont c. 1825 - 1850

This is a small portrait of Henri Edgeworth de Firmont, made with engraving by an anonymous artist. The cultural and political upheavals of late 18th-century France provide a crucial backdrop to understanding this image, particularly the role of the Catholic Church within the nation's social structure. Edgeworth, as a prominent clergyman, found himself at the center of these events, when he served as the confessor to King Louis XVI during his imprisonment and accompanied him to the execution. The very act of creating and disseminating such a portrait suggests an attempt to immortalize Edgeworth as a figure of piety and loyalty amidst revolutionary turmoil. Was this image produced to serve as a symbol of resistance against the revolution's anti-clerical stance? To answer this question, we should search through archives and libraries in both France and Ireland, where the Edgeworth family originated, to find clues about the image's commission, distribution, and reception. This portrait serves as a reminder that art is always embedded in a complex web of social, political, and religious forces.