Dominicus de Ligny meldensium episcopus
1661
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
249; 322
About this artwork
height 322 mm x width 249 mm
Art Historical Context
**Dominicus de Lignyensium episcopus is a striking 1661 engraving by Robert Nanteuil one of the finest French portrait engravers of the 17 century. Measuring 322 mm high by 249 mm wide, this depicts Dominique de Ligny, the Bishop of Meaux ( indicated by the Latin title, *meldensium episcopus Nanteuil, who served as engraver to King Louis XIV, specialized in meticulous portraits of the French elite, capturing the grandeur of the Baroque era during the Sun King's reign. Created through the labor-intensive engraving technique—incising fine lines into a copper plate with a burin—Nanteuil's print ...
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...