Currently not on view
Samuel Bernard,
1729
Pierre Drevet, French, 1663 - 1738
after Hyacinthe Rigaud, French, 1659–1743
after Hyacinthe Rigaud, French, 1659–1743
x1959-83
The son of a painter, Samuel Bernard, who is pictured here, became a fabulously wealthy financier and founder of the French Guiana Company. The ships on the left of this image refer to his worldwide financial empire; the pen, inkwell, and sand-caster on the table accompany the globe of a colonial entrepreneur.
A palatial setting suggests ties to the king, as does the Order of Saint Michael, the cross-shaped medal hanging from a ribbon worn over his shoulder, given to Bernard for his support of Louis XIV’s wars. Of Protestant background and possibly Jewish extraction, Bernard maintained relationships with foreign bankers and made loans to the crown that helped him avoid the expulsion to which French Protestants were subject after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, or confinement to the regions to which French Jews were limited during this time.
A palatial setting suggests ties to the king, as does the Order of Saint Michael, the cross-shaped medal hanging from a ribbon worn over his shoulder, given to Bernard for his support of Louis XIV’s wars. Of Protestant background and possibly Jewish extraction, Bernard maintained relationships with foreign bankers and made loans to the crown that helped him avoid the expulsion to which French Protestants were subject after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, or confinement to the regions to which French Jews were limited during this time.
Information
Title
Samuel Bernard
Dates
1729
Maker
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet trimmed to plate: 62.7 x 42.8 cm. (24 11/16 x 16 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Gilbert S. McClintock, Class of 1908
Object Number
x1959-83
Inscription
title: Samuel Bernard...; bottom l.:Peint par Hyacinthe Rigaud...; bottom r.: Grav‚ par P. Drevet 1729
Culture
Type
