Nicolas Grillié, Bishop of Uzès

Art Historical Context

This striking engraving by Claude Mellan captures Nicolas Grillié, who served as Bishop of Uzès until his death in 1660. Created as a formal portrait, the work presents the bishop in ecclesiastical attire, accompanied by his coat of arms—a detail that underscores his status within the French Catholic Church during the seventeenth century. Mellan, a leading French printmaker of the Baroque era, specialized in such dignified likenesses of clergy and nobility, using engraving to preserve their images for wider circulation. As a first-state impression, this print represents an early stage in the plate’s development, before later revisions were made across the four known states. The medium itself highlights the importance of reproductive prints in this period, allowing detailed portraits to reach audiences beyond those who could commission paintings. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of drawings and prints, the sheet measures approximately 13¾ by 9¼ inches and exemplifies Mellan’s precise technique and interest in conveying both personal authority and institutional prestige.

About the Artist

Claude Mellan|Nicolas Grillié, died 1660 Uzès · 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...