Charles-Maurice Le Tellier

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 intaglio technique involving incised metal plates inked and pressed onto paper—shines through in the fine lines delineating textures like lace collars, fur robes, and subtle facial nuances. His portraits, favored by the Sun King's elite, blended realism with flattery, immortalizing power. This work, now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art thanks to a 2000 gift, exemplifies 17th-century French printmaking's role in disseminating aristocratic imagery, bridging art and propaganda in absolutist France. A testament to Nanteuil's 300+ portraits, it invites visitors to ponder how engravings democratized elite likenesses, making royal splendor accessible beyond Versailles.

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...