Portret van Antoine III, hertog van Gramont 1683 - 1733

This is a portrait of Antoine III, Duke of Gramont, etched by Bernard Picart in the early 18th century. Antoine is framed by the symbols of his status: armor signifying his military rank, and below, his crowned coat of arms, flanked by cannons. The coat of arms, a visual shorthand for family lineage and power, is not unique to Antoine. Across centuries, from medieval heraldry to modern logos, families and nations have used emblems to assert identity and authority. Think of the eagle, a symbol of power found on Roman standards, and even today on national flags. These symbols create a kind of collective memory. The cannons and armor remind us of battles fought, power struggles, and the ever-present human drive for recognition. These emblems tap into our primal understanding of dominance and belonging, engaging viewers with a deep, subconscious narrative of power. The crowned coat of arms, then, is not simply a marker of personal identity, but a persistent echo of power, continually resurfacing and evolving throughout history.