Artwork
M. de Cheval
M. de Cheval is an ink print by the Baroque artist Léonard Gaultier. It dates from 1604 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. M.
About this work
Overview
M. de Cheval is an engraving created by French artist Léonard Gaultier in 1604. The work portrays a dignified man dressed in a hat, fancy coat with a ruffled collar, set against a dark background, conveying an air of importance through his attire and serious expression.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, M. de Cheval, is depicted with formal attire and a serious demeanor, suggesting a figure of significance. The portrait's solemnity and detailed rendering imply a commemorative or celebratory purpose, though the specific context or Cheval's identity remains unspecified.
Technique & Style
Gaultier's meticulous linework and stiff yet precise execution characterize the engraving. Influenced by Northern Renaissance printmakers like the Wierix brothers and Crispyn van de Passe, the piece emphasizes texture and shading through dense lineation, achieving a detailed, realistic effect.
History & Provenance
Created in 1604 by Léonard Gaultier, the engraving is part of his substantial body of work noted by contemporaries such as the Abbé de Marolles. Gaultier, active in Paris from around 1561 until his death in 1641, contributed to the Northern Renaissance printmaking tradition with his precise and varied engravings.
Artist & collection
Artist
Léonard Gaultier, or, as he sometimes signed himself, Galter, a French engraver, was born at Mainz about 1561, and died in Paris in 1641.
M. Francois Veron, Doctor of Theology, Lecturer, Professor, under Louis XIV
Count Gondamor
William I, Prince of Orange
John King, Bishop of London
William, Prince of Orange
Georgius Remus
Diego Sarmiento de Acuna, Count of Gondomar
Diego Sarmiento de Acuna, Count of Gondomar
Albert VII, Archduke of Austria
Tobias Matthew, Archbishop of York
M. de Chalvel
Joseph Hall, Bishop of Norwich