Image

Previous image 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / 10 Next image

Robert Nanteuil

Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne and Marshal of France (The Great Turenne)

Description

Maker

Robert Nanteuil (French, 1623-1678)

Title

Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne and Marshal of France (The Great Turenne)

Year

1665

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

engraving

Supports

Dimensions

Plate: 50 x 42.6 cm (19 11/16 x 16 3/4 inches)

Identification

State

state iv

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Bequest of Isaac C. Bates

Object Number

13.1219

Type

Projects & Publications

Publications

  • Books

The Brilliant Line: Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650

Renaissance engravings are objects of exquisite beauty and incomparable intricacy that are composed entirely of lines. Artists began using this intaglio process in Europe as early as 1430. This captivating catalogue focuses on the height of the medium, from 1480 to 1650, when engravers made dramatic and rapid visual changes to engraving technique as they responded to the demands of reproducing artworks in other media. The Brilliant Line follows these visual transformations and offers new insight into the special inventiveness and technical virtuosity of Renaissance and Baroque (Early Modern) engravers. The three essays discuss how engraving’s restrictive materials and the physical process of engraving informed its visual language; the context for the spread of particular engraving styles throughout Europe; and the interests, knowledge, and skills that Renaissance viewers applied when viewing and comparing engravings by style or school.

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

The Brilliant Line
Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650
Sep 18, 2009 – Jan 03, 2010

Label copy

Robert Nanteuil prided himself on understanding and embracing the material properties of engraving, but then overcoming its manual and visual constraints. He wrote a series of maxims in which he described the careful planning that must accompany every plate. Nanteuil’s special emphasis on his own technique and naturalistic presentation fit within his aspirations as an Academician. Declared a liberal art by King Louis XIV (notably one of Nanteuil’s sitters) in 1660, engraving was, by the height of Nanteuil’s career, beholden to all of the discourses surrounding art-making in the Academy.

The Viscount of Turenne (1611-1674), often called just Turenne, was the younger brother of the Duc de Boullion (see his portrait, left), and the epitome of the 17th-century noble warrior. He achieved military fame during his lifetime and became one of only six men honored with the title Marshal General of France. Campaigns under his leadership in Italy and Holland eventually brought an end to the Thirty Year’s War.

Related Publications

Related Publications

  • Books

The Brilliant Line: Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650

Renaissance engravings are objects of exquisite beauty and incomparable intricacy that are composed entirely of lines. Artists began using this intaglio process in Europe as early as 1430. This captivating catalogue focuses on the height of the medium, from 1480 to 1650, when engravers made dramatic and rapid visual changes to engraving technique as they responded to the demands of reproducing artworks in other media. The Brilliant Line follows these visual transformations and offers new insight into the special inventiveness and technical virtuosity of Renaissance and Baroque (Early Modern) engravers. The three essays discuss how engraving’s restrictive materials and the physical process of engraving informed its visual language; the context for the spread of particular engraving styles throughout Europe; and the interests, knowledge, and skills that Renaissance viewers applied when viewing and comparing engravings by style or school.

Use & Feedback

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Robert Nanteuil (French, 1623-1678)
Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne and Marshal of France (The Great Turenne), 1665
Engraving
Plate: 50 x 42.6 cm (19 11/16 x 16 3/4 inches)
Bequest of Isaac C. Bates 13.1219

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.