Georges de Scudéry
ca. 1654
Medium
Engraving; first state of four (petitjean & Wickert)
Dimensions
Sheet: 10 3/16 × 7 3/4 in. (25.9 × 19.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of David Keppel, 1917
Accession Number
17.21.46
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite engraving, *Georges de Scudéry* by Robert Nanteuilca. 1654), captures the poised likeness of a prominent French literary figure from the Baroque era. Nanteuil, one of the finest portrait engravers of 17th-century France, celebrated for his meticulous technique, which brought unprecedented realism and psychological depth to printed portraits. Georges de Scudéry, of the renowned novelist Madeleine de Scudéry was a poet, playwright, and scholar who moved in elite Parisian circles during Louis XIV's early reign, embodying the intellectual vibrancy of the Grand Siècle. As a first st...
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...