Jacques Amelot 1650 - 1660

Robert Nanteuil created this engraving of Jacques Amelot on laid paper sometime in the mid-17th century. Here we see the tools of portraiture placed in the service of power and prestige. The French inscription tells us that Amelot was a knight and head of the Court of Aides, a sovereign court of finance. The Amelot family's coat of arms appears at the bottom of the image, leaving no doubt as to the sitter’s noble status. Nanteuil was a leading portraitist of the French aristocracy. His refined engraving technique and careful attention to detail were well-suited to conveying the sitter’s social standing. This portrait would have been commissioned to circulate among Amelot's peers. The image is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum, a testament to the enduring power of portraiture as a form of social documentation. To learn more, scholars consult primary sources such as letters, diaries, and financial records. This helps us understand the complex social networks and institutional structures that shaped the production and reception of art in 17th-century France.