Cardinal Jules Mazarin

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 printmaking to an art form rivaling painting. Engraving, a meticulous intaglio technique where lines are incised into a metal plate and inked under pressure, allowed for precise detail and tonal subtlety—ideal for disseminating images of nobility across Europe. This work, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Lev Tsitrin, 2000), reflects Mazarin's pivotal role in stabilizing France amid the Fronde rebellions and laying foundations for absolutist rule. A testament to portraiture's cultural power, this print immortalizes a man whose diplomacy shaped modern Europe, inviting visitors to ponder the faces behind history's grand narratives.

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...