Charles-Maurice Le Tellier
1672
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 19 3/4 x 16 7/16 in. (50.1 x 41.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Lev Tsitrin, 2000
Accession Number
2000.416.56
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the opulent court of Louis XIV, Robert Nanteuil crafted this striking 1672 engraving of Charles-Maurice Leier, a prominent French statesman and cleric. Nanteuil, France's preeminent portrait engraver of the Baroque era, captured Le Tellier with remarkable precision, emphasizing his dignified bearing and the symbolic cross that hints at his ecclesiastical roles, such as Archbishop of Reims. Measuring an impressive 19¾ × 16½ inches on its sheet, this large-scale print was designed for display, reflecting the era's fascination with grandeur and hierarchy. Nanteuil's mastery of engraving—an in...
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...