Pierre Jeannin 1651 - 1661

This print of Pierre Jeannin was made by Robert Nanteuil in France sometime in the mid-17th century. Nanteuil was the portraitist to the court of Louis XIV, and he was ennobled for his services in shaping the visual image of the French state. Consider the role of portraiture in shaping public perceptions of power. Note the sharp lines of the face, the cut of his beard, and the heavy folds of his robes. What qualities of leadership are being emphasized here? In France at this time, the Academy was formalizing its ideas about which kinds of art were serious and deserving of state support. Printmaking was considered a lesser artform than painting or sculpture, but it served a vital role in disseminating images of the King and his ministers to a wider public. To understand this image better, we might look at other prints made by Nanteuil, as well as archival records of the French court. The history of art is inseparable from the history of institutions and power.