Hardouin de Beaumont de Péréfixe, Archbishop of Paris 1662

Editor: Here we have Robert Nanteuil’s portrait of Hardouin de Beaumont de Péréfixe. The engraving, held at the Harvard Art Museums, strikes me as incredibly detailed. How do you interpret the composition? Curator: Note how Nanteuil uses varied densities of line to model the Archbishop’s face and clothing. Observe, too, the oval frame that contains the figure, and the cartouche below bearing the sitter's coat of arms. How do these compositional elements shape your reading of the work? Editor: The framing does give it a sense of formality and importance, almost like he's being presented as a figure of note. Curator: Precisely. Editor: I hadn't considered the level of detail and the purpose that it serves. Thanks!