Portret van Lazare Carnot 1811 - 1867

Alphonse Boilly created this portrait of Lazare Carnot sometime in the 19th century. Note the symbols around the frame: books, the globe, the radiant star, and military emblems. The radiant star, positioned above the terrestrial globe, speaks to enlightenment ideals, yet it echoes the celestial authority of more ancient cosmological maps. Military symbols, interwoven with emblems of knowledge and truth, suggest a complex interplay between power and enlightenment. The star motif can be traced back through millennia, reappearing in various guises. Consider its ancient roots in Babylonian iconography, or its later adaptation as a symbol of divine guidance in Christian art. It resurfaces in the Renaissance, imbued with humanist ideals. It’s as if the collective psyche continually seeks to project its aspirations and anxieties onto the night sky, forever searching for guiding lights in the darkness. Boilly’s image captures this ongoing cultural dialogue.