Portret van Lodewijk, hertog van Bourgondië 1702

This is a portrait of Louis, Duke of Burgundy, rendered by Bernard Picart with the burin in the early 18th century. The young Duke holds a commanding pose. Note the swagger stick in his hand, a symbol of authority and control, a motif that echoes the scepter of ancient rulers. This stick is not merely an accessory; it is a visual echo across time, reminiscent of the batons held by Roman consuls. Consider its transformation: from a tool of command to a mere fashion statement, yet still imbued with the memory of power. How the collective subconscious clings to such symbols! The setting, overlooking manicured gardens, speaks of cultivated order and the imposition of man's will on nature. This symbol has progressed through millennia: in the 20th century, the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan re-fashioned the swagger stick as a symbol of phallocentrism, as if to suggest that such symbols exert a powerful force, engaging viewers on a subconscious level. Such symbols are not fixed but in cyclical progression, each age imbuing them with new meanings.