Nicolas Robert (18 April 1614 – 25 March 1685) was a French miniaturist and engraver.
Biography
He was born in
Langres
Langres () is a commune in France, commune in northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Haute-Marne, in the Regions of France, region of Grand Est.
History
As the capital ...
and died in Paris.
In 1664, he was appointed as ''"peintre ordinaire de Sa Majesté pur la miniature"'' (Painter of Miniatures) to French king
Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
.
Works
The art curator and writer Wilfrid Blunt highlights Robert's main works as follows:
* Illustrations within the book – '' Guirlande de Julie'' – which was produced by Nicolas Jarry as a gift for Julie Lucine d'Angennes from her future husband, the Duke of Montausier. It was this work that made Robert famous and drew the attention of
Gaston, Duke of Orléans
''Monsieur'' Gaston, Duke of Orléans (Gaston Jean Baptiste; 24 April 1608 – 2 February 1660), was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his second wife, Marie de' Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a . He later acquired the title ...
.
* Paintings of flowers on
vellum
Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. It is often distinguished from parchment, either by being made from calfskin (rather than the skin of other animals), or simply by being of a higher quality. Vellu ...
for Gaston and latterly for Louis XIV that form the nucleus of the Recueil des vélins now held in the French
National Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. It has free admission and is open 364 days a year. With 4.4 ...
within the
Jardin des Plantes
The Jardin des Plantes (, ), also known as the Jardin des Plantes de Paris () when distinguished from other ''jardins des plantes'' in other cities, is the main botanical garden in France. Jardin des Plantes is the official name in the present da ...
Austrian National Library
The Austrian National Library (, ) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Hofburg#Neue Burg, Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in Innere Stadt, center of Vienna. Sin ...
Taschen
Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt Taschen and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen.
History
The company began as Tasch ...
: 2008)
* ''Livre des Tulipes'', in the
Austrian National Library
The Austrian National Library (, ) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Hofburg#Neue Burg, Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in Innere Stadt, center of Vienna. Sin ...
Taschen
Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt Taschen and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen.
History
The company began as Tasch ...
: 2008)
Colleagues
Robert worked with the following people:
*
Abraham Bosse
Abraham Bosse ( – 14 February 1676) was a French artist, mainly as a printmaker in etching, but also in watercolor painting, watercolour.Louis de Chastillon
* Denis Dodart
*
Robert Morison
Robert Morison (162010 November 1683) was a Scottish botanist and Taxonomy (biology), taxonomist. A forerunner of John Ray, he elucidated and developed the first systematic classification of plants.Vines
Biography
Born in Aberdeen, Morison w ...
, a Scottish botanist by whom it is believed that Robert was first prompted to take an interest in scientific botanic illustration