Jean de Maupeou
1671
Medium
Engraving; second state of two (Petitjean & Wickert)
Dimensions
sheet: 15 7/16 x 12 3/8 in. (39.2 x 31.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Lev Tsitrin, 2000
Accession Number
2000.416.70
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 17th-century France with Robert Nanteuil's *Jean de Maupeou* (1671), a engraving that captures the dignity of its noble subject. Nanteuil, one of the finest portrait engravers of Louis XIV's reign, specialized in depicting the French elite with remarkable precision and elegance. This second state of two—from the authoritative Petitjean & Wickert catalog—portrays Jean de Maupe, likely a prominent figure in the judiciary or aristocracy, adorned with a coat of arms and a cross symbolizing chivalric honors or religious devotion. Measuring an impressive 15 7/16 x 12 ...
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...