Robert Nanteuil (c. 1623-1678)
Portrait of Michel IV Le Tellier (1603-1685)
1661, engraving on paper, first state of two
14 x 10 5/8 in. (35.6 x 27 cm) (image size)
Gift of Mrs. Frederick Paul Keppel (C00.0802.102)

These two portraits of Michel Le Tellier were made two years apart. In the later portrait, Le Tellier’s awkward gloved hand has been removed. His hair is thinner, his eyebrows are less angular and his face is more elongated, and his garment shows two insignia – the cross of the Order of the Holy Spirit on the sleeve and a portion of the order plate on the buttoned jacket. Even though these distinctions are absent from the 1659 engraving, by 1658 Le Tellier was already a member of the prestigious order, as attested by a drawing made "ad vivum" that year, which features the cross and plate. The inclusion of the inscription "cum privilegio Regis," absent from the earlier portrait, refers to Nanteuil’s granting of a royal privilege in 1661 that recognized his monopoly over the printing and selling of his work.