Caspar de Fieubet 1662

Curator: This engraving presents Caspar de Fieubet. The artist is Nicolas Pitau, active around the turn of the 18th century. Editor: It's such a formal affair, isn't it? Very buttoned-up, yet those flowing locks hint at something a bit wilder underneath. Curator: The image participates in the political theater of the time. Consider the inscription framing Fieubet—it speaks to his status and role in the French court. Editor: And that coat of arms... very loud! But there's a quiet confidence in his eyes. He knows who he is, wig and all. Curator: These portraits served to solidify power structures but also to negotiate identity within those frameworks. Editor: I get the feeling that Fieubet probably enjoyed a good debate, maybe with a glass of wine in hand. The French, eh? Curator: Indeed. This portrait serves as a lens through which we can examine the performance of power and identity in the early modern period. Editor: It's more than just a fancy picture; it's a little peek into the life of a man who lived and breathed in a very different world.