Marie de Medicis, reine de France 1605 - 1650

Curator: Take a look at this portrait of Marie de Medici, Reine de France. It's a print, an engraving specifically, made by Jean Morin sometime between 1605 and 1650. It’s currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: My goodness, the texture is phenomenal for an engraving! She feels so regal, even with that slight Mona Lisa smile. It's intimate, like a secret glimpse. Curator: The real accomplishment lies in understanding how this image functions as a reproducible commodity. Morin had to consider how his choices in line weight and hatching would translate across multiple impressions and affect labor investment per image. The distribution network would dramatically affect the interpretation across geographic and class lines. Editor: Yes, but look at her eyes! They tell a story, a weariness perhaps. You see the artist captured the soft texture of her skin despite the harsh lines of the engraving. Does the pearl necklace not remind you of tears frozen in elegance? Curator: The pearls also speak to trade routes, extraction economies, and, crucially, the commodification of both nature and labor. Who dove for those pearls, and under what conditions? Furthermore, consider how the value of such materials influenced fashion and fueled desire for royal appropriation. Editor: Oh, definitely, but back to the composition! The way her face is framed, that severe octagonal border…it almost imprisons her. Is that a reflection on the pressures of royalty or perhaps a means of drawing one’s eye? Curator: Such portraits helped legitimize power. Disseminating engravings, not uniquely commissioned painted portraits, allowed the crown to carefully calibrate and widely broadcast particular versions of authority in the volatile world of 17th-century European dynastic politics. Editor: Indeed, yes, propaganda! I wonder if Marie would recognize this slightly hardened version of herself, divorced from the scent of lavender, from the softness of velvet, adrift in this ocean of multiplied copies? Curator: Absolutely, it shifts perspective. Editor: A little detached analysis, I think I’ve become rather moved.