Cardinal Jules Mazarin

Art Historical Context

Behold the striking portrait *Cardinal Jules Mazarin (1656), an exquisite engraving by Robert Nante, one of 17th-century France's premier portrait engravers. This first state of four—before later alterations noted by scholars Petitjean and Wickert—measures 12 5/8 × 9 11/16 inches and captures the cardinal in regal profile, adorned with his coat of arms. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it was generously gifted by Lev Tsitrin in 2000. Nanteuil's mastery shines in the engraving medium, a meticulous intaglio technique where intricate lines are incised into a copper plate, inked, and pressed onto paper for richly detailed reproductions. His Baroque style emphasizes psychological depth and aristocratic poise, making elite figures like Mazarin accessible through prints that circulated widely among collectors. Cardinal Mazarin, France's powerful chief minister under young Louis XIV, navigated turbulent times like the Fronde rebellions, amassing one of Europe's finest art collections. This portrait immortalizes his influence during a golden age of French absolutism, blending political might with cultural patronage—a testament to engraving's role in disseminating 17th-century grandeur.

About the Artist

Robert Nanteuil · 1623–1678

Robert Nanteuil (1623-1678) was a French portrait engraver, draughtsman, and pastellist who became the preeminent portraitist to the court of Louis XIV. His technical mastery and royal patronage fundamentally transformed the status of engraving in France, elevating it from a mechanical craft to a recognized fine art. Nanteuil stands as the outstanding French portrait engraver of the seventeenth c...