Portret van Jean-François Paul de Gondi

About this artwork

height 152 mm x width 110 mm

Art Historical Context

This intimate engraving by Michel Aubert, created in 1755, presents a refined portrait of Jean-François Paul de Gondi, the Cardinal de Retz. A prominent 17th-century French churchman, diplomat, and memoirist, Gondi played a pivotal role in the Fronde rebellions against royal authority. Though he had died decades earlier, Aubert’s print kept his image alive for 18th-century viewers, transforming a historical figure into a subject of continued fascination. Measuring just 152 by 110 millimeters, the work exemplifies the period’s taste for small-scale engraved portraits. Such prints were easily collected, bound into books, or passed among scholars and enthusiasts, allowing wider audiences to study the faces of notable personalities. Engraving’s precise linework lent itself especially well to capturing the textures of clerical robes, facial features, and subtle expressions, making it an ideal medium for preserving likenesses with both accuracy and elegance. Aubert’s engraving thus serves as both a tribute and a cultural bridge, linking the turbulent world of the Cardinal de Retz to the Enlightenment era’s growing interest in history and biography. Its modest size and meticulous technique highlight how printmaking helped democratize access to important figures long after their lifetimes.

About the Artist

Michel Aubert · 1930–2030

Michel Aubert (1930–2019) was a French expressionist painter and lithographer whose uncompromising artistic vision emerged from the vibrant Parisian art scene of the mid-20th century. Born in Paris on November 20, 1930, Aubert lived and worked in the city's 13th arrondissement until his death on December 7, 2019. As a self-taught artist who refused formal academic training, Aubert developed a high...