b. 1623 Reims, France, d. 1678 Paris, France
draftsman; painter; printmaker
French

"Time and trouble do not make fine works of art so much as a good disposition and intelligence."
--Robert Nanteuil

Early on, he made primarily portrait drawings. He developed his own engraving technique, and his 1652 engraving of Cardinal Mazarin gained him official recognition: Louis XIV appointed him designer and engraver. Because of Nanteuil's achievements and efforts, in 1660 the king granted a royal edict that pronounced engraving distinct from the mechanical arts and gave its practitioners the privileges of other fine artists. Nanteuil's subjects included royalty and high-ranking members of society. He aimed to capture the character of his subjects, talking to them amusingly in the studio, then in the engravings making them appear calm, with lofty thoughts. He drew them in simple costume with few, if any, accessories, setting the head and shoulders in a simple oval resting on an architectural plinth. The outstanding French portrait engraver of his age, Nanteuil was also the most accomplished pastelist of the 1600s. His style dominated French portrait engraving until the end of the 1700s.