Art Institute of Chicago

Denis Talon

Robert Nanteuil

Date

1656

Medium

Engraving on paper

Culture

France

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Robert Nanteuil was one of the most esteemed portrait engravers of his time, combining the use of Claude Mellan’s swelling parallel lines with precisely executed cross-hatching and stippling, clusters of flecks or dots that create the impression of shadow. Here, in the creases of his subject’s sleeve, Nanteuil switches from lines to cross-hatching as the folds collapse inwards, juxtaposing the different marks to create a sense of depth. Denis Talon was the son of Omer Talon, and succeeded his father as attorney general to the Parisian Parliament in 1652, before moving on to serve on the French Council of State.

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