René de Longueil, marquis de Maisons
Medium
Engraving; first state of three (BN)
Dimensions
sheet: 13 7/16 x 9 1/8 in. (34.2 x 23.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.601.287
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite engraving, *René de Longueil, marquis de Maisons*, captures the noble visage of a prominent 17th-century French aristocrat. Created by Claude Mellan, a master engraver renowned for his intricate line work during the Baroque era, the portrait exemplifies the era's fascination with individualized likenesses of the elite. René de Longueil, Marquis de Maisons, was a key figure in Louis XIV's courtly circles, and this first-state impression— one of only three known variants—offers a rare glimpse into how printmaking immortalized such influencers. Mellan's technique shines in the pre...
About the Artist
Claude Mellan|René de Longueil, Marquis de Maisons · 1598–1688
Claude Mellan (1598-1688) was a French draughtsman, engraver, and painter who became one of the most innovative printmakers of the French Baroque period. Born in Abbeville to a family of coppersmiths, Mellan rose to become Peintre et Graveur Ordinaire du Roi (Painter and Engraver in Ordinary to the King), achieving recognition for his extraordinary technical mastery. Mellan's artistic significanc...