Frederic-Maurice, Duc de Bouillon
1655
Medium
engraving
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.6635
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of 17th-century French portrait with *Frederic-Maurice, Duc de Bouillon*1655), a masterful engraving by Robert Nuil. This work depicts Frederic-Maurice de la Tour d'Auvergne a prominent French nobleman and military commander known for his role in the turbulent Fronde rebellions against royal authority during the early reign of Louis XIV. Created amid France's Baroque era, the portrait captures the duke's dignified presence, emblematic of the aristocracy's power and prestige. Nanteuil, hailed as France's preeminent engraver of his time, elevated printmaking to an ar...
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...