Cardinal Jules Mazarin
1660
Medium
Engraving; second state of two (Petijean & Wickert)
Dimensions
Sheet: 13 9/16 x 16 3/4 in. (34.4 x 42.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Lev Tsitrin, 2000
Accession Number
2000.416.75
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the striking portrait engraving *Cardinal Jules Mazar* by Robert Nanteuil created in 1660. This second state of two—cataloged by Petitjean and Wickert—captures the influential French cardinal and statesman at the height of his power as chief minister to young King Louis XIV. Measuring an impressive 13 916 x 16 3/4 inches, the sheet showcases Nanteuil's mastery rendering Mazarin's dignified features, from his piercing gaze to the intricate folds of his robes, evoking the grandeur of the French Baroque era. Nanteuil, one of the finest portrait engravers of 17th-century France, elevated p...
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...