Michel Le Masle
ca. 1658
Medium
Engraving; first state of three (Petitjean & Wickert)
Dimensions
Sheet: 16 3/4 × 12 3/8 in. (42.5 × 31.5 cm) Plate: 13 1/16 × 9 3/4 in. (33.2 × 24.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Lev Tsitrin, 2001
Accession Number
2001.647.29
Tags
Art Historical Context
This elegant engraving, *Michel Le Masle* by Robert Nanteuilca. 1658), captures the poised likeness of its namesake subject, likely a notable figure of 17th-century France Nanteuil, one of era's premier portrait engravers, worked in the refined style of the French Baroque, producing intricate images that immortalized intellectuals, courtiers, and clergy for Louis XIV's flourishing cultural scene. His portraits, often based on preparatory drawings or paintings, emphasized psychological depth and aristocratic elegance, making this piece a prime example of his mastery. Rendered as the first stat...
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...