Pierre da Maridat
ca. 1653
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 5 3/8 × 3 9/16 in. (13.7 × 9.1 cm) Plate: 5 1/8 × 3 5/16 in. (13 × 8.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
Accession Number
17.3.1986
Tags
Art Historical Context
Robert Nanteuil's *Pierre da Maridat* (ca. 1653) is a masterful portrait engraving captures the poised elegance of its subject, a man likely of some prominence in mid-17th-century France Nanteuil, one of the era's preeminent French engravers, was celebrated for his ability to translate the subtleties of oil paintings into intricate prints, often working from life or preparatory drawings. This small-scale work (plate: 5 1/8 × 3 5/16 in.) exemplifies his skill in rendering textures—from fine lace collars to the soft fall of hair—with extraordinary precision, making it a standout in the Metropoli...
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...