Portret van Cornelius Jansenius - Jean Langlois

A seventeenth-century engraving by Jean Langlois depicting Cornelius Jansenius, the Bishop of Ypres, presented in a formal profile portrait.

This engraving by Jean Langlois depicts Cornelius Jansenius, the Bishop of Ypres and the namesake of the theological movement known as Jansenism. The portrait is presented in profile, a traditional format for ecclesiastical subjects during the seventeenth century. Langlois employs precise line work to define the facial features and the texture of the subject's clerical attire. The composition is contained within an oval frame, which includes a Latin inscription from Psalm 91:4, 'Scuto circumdabit te veritas eius' (His truth shall compass thee with a shield).

The print reflects the technical standards of French printmaking during the mid-to-late seventeenth century. The artist uses cross-hatching and varied line weights to create volume and shadow, particularly in the rendering of the subject's cap and the folds of his garment. The lower margin provides biographical details, identifying the subject as the Bishop of Ypres who died on 6 May 1638 at the age of 53. This type of portrait served as a visual record for followers and scholars of Jansenist thought, circulating the likeness of the theologian across Europe.

Jean Langlois was a French engraver active in Paris. His work often involved the reproduction of portraits and religious imagery. This particular engraving demonstrates the formal restraint typical of the period, focusing on the gravity and intellectual character of the sitter. The clean lines and balanced composition make it a clear example of seventeenth-century portrait engraving, where the primary objective was the accurate representation of the individual within a structured, symbolic framework. The print remains a valuable historical document, capturing the likeness of a figure whose theological writings caused significant debate within the Catholic Church for decades after his death.