Madame Bouthillier (Marie de Bragelogne)
1656
Medium
Engraving; second state of four (Petitjean & Wickert)
Dimensions
Sheet: 13 7/8 × 10 9/16 in. (35.3 × 26.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Louis R. Metcalfe, 1928
Accession Number
28.57.95
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of 17th-century French portraiture with Robert Nanteuil's *Madame Bouthillier (Marie de Bragelogne)* an exquisite engraving from 1656 Nanteuil, one of the era's master engravers and official portraitist to King Louis XIV, captures the noblewoman with remarkable precision and elegance. Produced during the early years of the Sun King's reign, this print reflects the opulence and social hierarchy of the French aristocracy, where such portraits served as symbols of status and lineage. Crafted as the second state of four—meaning an intermediate version in the printmakin...
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...