Hardouin de Beaumont de Péréfixe
1662
Medium
Engraving; second state of four (Petitjean & Wickert)
Dimensions
Sheet: 13 7/16 × 10 11/16 in. (34.1 × 27.2 cm) Plate: 12 15/16 × 10 3/16 in. (32.9 × 25.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.13.21
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 17th-century France with Nanteuil's *Hardouin de Beaumont de Pfixe* (1662), a engraving that captures the dignity of one of Louis XIV's key figures. Nanteuil, France's preeminent portrait engraver during Sun King's reign, specialized in intricate prints that brought the nobility and clergy to life. This second state of four—cataloged by Petitjean and Wickert—reveals the meticulous refinements typical of his process, where subtle changes enhanced detail and tonal depth on the copper plate. The subject, Hardouin de Beaumont de Péréfixe, was Archbishop of Paris and...
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...