Portrait of Barthélemy Tremblet - Balthasar Moncornet

A seventeenth-century French engraving by Balthasar Moncornet, depicting the sculptor Barthélemy Tremblet within an ornate, decorative frame.

This engraving by Balthasar Moncornet depicts the sculptor Barthélemy Tremblet. The portrait is presented within an oval frame, a common convention for seventeenth-century printmaking. The frame itself is highly decorative, featuring scrollwork and a mask at the top, which provides a sense of architectural structure to the composition. The sitter is shown in a three-quarter view, wearing a doublet with a wide, flat collar typical of the period. His expression is direct, with a moustache and goatee adding to the formal character of the portrait.

Below the oval frame, a cartouche contains a four-line inscription in French. This text provides biographical context, identifying the subject as a sculptor to the King and mentioning his work at Saint-Eustache in Paris. The use of hatching and cross-hatching techniques creates volume in the clothing and depth in the background, demonstrating the technical skill required for copperplate engraving during the mid-seventeenth century. Moncornet, active in Paris as both an engraver and a publisher, produced numerous portraits of contemporary figures, contributing to the visual record of the French court and artistic circles.

This print is a fine example of the portraiture style prevalent in France under the reign of Louis XIV. The balance between the realistic depiction of the individual and the ornate, symbolic framing reflects the aesthetic priorities of the Baroque era. The clarity of the lines and the precise rendering of the facial features allow for a clear view of the subject's character. As a historical document, the work offers insight into the professional identity of artists in seventeenth-century Paris, documenting their status and their contributions to royal projects.