Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Medium
Engraving; first state of four [?] (Petitjean & Wickert)
Dimensions
sheet: 12 1/2 x 9 13/16 in. (31.8 x 24.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. Lev Tsitrin, 2001
Accession Number
2001.647.16
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking 1662 engraving captures Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the influential finance minister and statesman who shaped the administrative and economic policies of Louis XIV’s France. Created by master engraver Robert Nanteuil after a design by Philippe de Champaigne, the portrait reflects the formal dignity expected of high-ranking court figures during the early years of the Sun King’s reign. Nanteuil’s precise line work and subtle tonal gradations convey both the sitter’s authority and the refined elegance of French Baroque portraiture. As a first-state impression, the print offers valuable ...
About the Artist
Robert Nanteuil|Philippe de Champaigne · 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...