Artwork
Victor Bouthillier
Victor Bouthillier is an ink print by the Baroque artist Balthasar Moncornet. It dates from 1634 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
This 1634 engraving, executed on laid paper, presents a portrait of Victor Bouthillier, a French ecclesiastic and statesman of the early seventeenth century. The image is a fine example of Balthasar Moncornet’s print work, which documented a range of notable contemporaries through detailed, monochrome portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
Victor Bouthillier, born in Rouen in 1600, appears with dark hair, a high-collared jacket, and a prominent cross at his throat, indicating his clerical status. His solemn expression and direct gaze convey a sense of authority and piety, reflecting his role within the religious and political spheres of his time.
Technique & Style
Moncornet employed a combination of line engraving and cross‑hatching to model the figure’s features, creating a subtle gradation from dark to light across the background. The laid‑paper surface adds a faint texture that enhances the tonal depth, while the precise rendering of the collar and facial details demonstrates the artist’s meticulous approach.
History & Provenance
The portrait belongs to a series of roughly forty‑five engravings Moncornet produced of prominent French individuals. Created in Paris, the print circulated among elite circles, serving both as a record of status and as a collectible image. Its survival in museum collections underscores its value as a documentary artifact of 17th‑century French society.
Artist & collection
Artist
Balthasar Moncornet (1600, Rouen – 1668, Paris) was a French painter, engraver, and tapissier revered for his depictions of around 45 different prominent figures of the 17th century.
