Cardinal Antonio Barberini
ca. 1657
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 12 3/8 × 9 3/4 in. (31.5 × 24.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Lev Tsitrin, 2000
Accession Number
2000.416.48
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the opulent world of 17th-century Europe with Robert Nanteuil's engraving *Cardinal Antonio Barberini (ca. 1657). This striking portrait depicts the Italian prelate from the powerful Barberini familynephews of Pope Urban VIII—who wielded immense influence in the Catholic Church during the Baroque era. Measuring 12 3/8 × 9 3/4 inches, the sheet showcases Nanteuil's mastery in capturing the cardinal's stern gaze, elaborate robes, and commanding posture, evoking the era's emphasis on ecclesiastical authority and splendor. As one of France's premier engravers, Nanteuil elevated printmak...
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...