Henri-Auguste de Loménie, comte de Brienne
1660
Medium
Engraving; first state of four (Petitjean & Wickert)
Dimensions
Sheet: 13 3/4 × 10 1/2 in. (35 × 26.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Lev Tsitrin, 2000
Accession Number
2000.416.43
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite engraving, *Henri-Auguste de Loménie comte de Brienne*1660), by the renowned French artist Robert Nanteuil, the noble poise of a prominent 17th-century statesman.anteuil, a master engraver active during Louis XIV's reign, was celebrated for his intricate portrait prints that blended sharp realism with Baroque elegance. Working in the first state of four (as cataloged by Petitjean & Wick), this rare early proof measures 13 3/4 × 10 1/2 inches and showcases the subject's dignified profile alongside his coat of arms, symbolizing aristocratic lineage and authority. Created amid Fra...
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...