Simon Dreux d'Aubray
1658
Medium
Engraving; second state of two (Petitjean & Wickert)
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 3/4 × 12 1/2 in. (24.7 × 31.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Louis R. Metcalfe, 1928
Accession Number
28.57.98
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of 17th French portraiture with Robert Nanteuil's *Simon Dreux d'Aubray* (1658), a masterful engraving now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Drawings and Prints department.anteuil, one of the era's premier engravers, captured the likeness of this distinguished sitter—a man of evident status, as signified by the prominent coat of arms. Created during the reign of Louis XIV, this print reflects the Baroque emphasis on grandeur and individuality, where portraits served as emblems of social standing and legacy. Measuring 9 3/4 × 12 1/2 inches, this second state ...
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...