Cardinal Richelieu Presenting Poussin to Louis XIII

This canvas by **Antoine Ansiaux**, painted in 1817, depicts Cardinal **Richelieu** presenting the painter **Nicolas Poussin** to King **Louis XIII** — an episode illustrating the role of cultural patron the minister intended to play alongside his political action, by recalling to the French court, in 1640-1642, one of the greatest painters of his time then residing in Rome. A work from the early nineteenth century rather than a contemporary account, it takes part in the construction of an image of Richelieu as protector of the arts and letters, alongside his better-known role as founder of the Académie française.