Artwork
François La Rochefoucauld
François La Rochefoucauld is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Michel Lasne. It dates from 1628 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. This 1628 portrait engraving depicts the French nobleman François de La Rochefoucauld.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:around circumference in plate: CARDINAL RUPIFUCALD.; by later hand on mount, center in graphite: m / F. de La Rochefoucauld
About this work
Overview
This 1628 portrait engraving depicts the French nobleman François de La Rochefoucauld. Executed on laid paper, the image presents the sitter in a round frame, his beard, tall pointed hat, and ruffled collar rendered in stark black and white. The background is unadorned, allowing the finely cross‑hatched lines to define facial features and clothing.
Technique & Style
The print was produced by Michel Lasne, a Caen‑born engraver active in the early seventeenth century. Trained in Antwerp under Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, Lasne applied a meticulous cross‑hatching method, using dense parallel strokes to achieve tonal variation and texture. Engraving on laid paper was his preferred support, offering a slightly textured surface for the fine incisions.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait identifies the sitter as François de La Rochefoucauld, though an erroneous legend reading “Cardinal Rupellaud” arches above the circular frame. The mismatch suggests a printing mistake, as no cardinal of that name corresponds to the depicted individual.
Context
Created during the reign of Louis XIII, the work reflects the period’s demand for printed likenesses of aristocratic figures. Lasne’s appointment as the king’s official engraver in 1633 indicates his prominence in courtly visual culture, and this portrait exemplifies the dissemination of noble identities through print media.
History & Provenance
The engraving was likely circulated among collectors and patrons shortly after its production, serving both as a personal memento and as a means of reinforcing La Rochefoucauld’s social standing. Its survival on laid paper attests to the durability of Lasne’s technique and the continued interest of institutions in early modern French portraiture.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Michel Lasne (Caen, ca. 1590–4 December 1667, Paris), was a French engraver, draughtsman and collector. Lasne was born in Caen and was the son of a goldsmith. He was a member of the Guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp for…
