Philibert-Emmanuel de Beaumanoir de Lavardin
Medium
Engraving; third state of five [?] (Petitjean & Wickert)
Dimensions
Sheet: 12 5/16 × 9 1/2 in. (31.2 × 24.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Dr. Morris H. Saffron, 1964
Accession Number
64.633.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant engraving, created in 1651, portrays Philibert-Emmanuel de Beaumanoir de Lavardin, a French nobleman of the mid-seventeenth century. The work reflects the collaborative artistry of Philippe de Champaigne, whose refined painting style often informed such prints, and Robert Nanteuil, one of the period’s foremost engravers specializing in aristocratic and courtly portraits. Produced during the reign of Louis XIV, the image captures the formal dignity expected of the French nobility, complete with a prominent coat of arms that underscores the sitter’s lineage and status. As a print, ...
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...