François La Rochefoucauld
1551 to 1600
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 32.8 x 22.8 cm (12 15/16 x 9 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of John O'Brien
Accession Number
1991.164.69
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This elegant engraving portrays François La Rochefoucauld (1551–1600), a nobleman during the late Renaissance, captured with remarkable precision by master engraver Michel Lasne Produced on laid paper—a traditional handmade sheet with distinctive chain lines visible under light—the print measures 32.8 x 22.8 cm, ideal for display in scholarly collections or private studies. Lasne, active in the vibrant printmaking hubs of 16th- and early 17th-century France, specialized in portraits that blended Renaissance realism with emerging Baroque expressiveness. Engraving's intaglio technique, where fi...
About the Artist
Michel Lasne · 1590–1667
Michel Lasne (ca. 1590–1667) was a French engraver, draughtsman, and collector who became one of the most prolific printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Caen around 1590, Lasne was the son of a goldsmith, which provided him with early exposure to metalworking techniques essential for engraving. His career spanned the reigns of Louis XIII and the early years of Louis XIV, during which h...