Robert Nanteuil[1] is considered the greatest portrait engraver of the 17th century, but occasionally he prepared his prints with small and refined drawings on vellum, similar to the present portrait (see this example). Related examples are in the Louvre, L. Duclaux, Inventaire Géneral des Dessins, École Fr, XII Nadar-Ozanne, Paris 1975, nos. 10-11. His works on vellum, especially of women, are extremely rare.

As the premier portrait engraver of the 17th century, Robert Nanteuil established the format upon which French portrait prints for the next two centuries would be based, and elevated the status of engraving to a prestigious liberal art. In lieu of Nanteuil’s achievements, in 1660 King Louis XIV (1638-1715) granted a royal edict that gave engravers the privileges of other fine artists. His portraits were admired for the accuracy of their likeness and their striking vivacity, which he achieved with an extraordinarily refined technique. He was also skilled at capturing the character of his subjects, including the King.

Plumbago (graphite) portraits and engravings have always had a connection. Similar in precision, scale and subject, in the seventeenth and early eighteenth century, such drawings which were previously considered preparatory were promoted in importance and admired as finished portraits in their own right.[2]  The exquisite detail shown in the present portrait, particularly in the clothing and hair, show how an astonishing array of textures could be conveyed in monochrome – a skill which Nanteuil certainly transferred to his engravings.