Cardinal de Retz

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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The sitter’s identity is given in a later inscription at the top left as: ‘Le cardinal de Retz’ and confirmed by comparison with engraved portraits of him. Jean François-Paul de Gondi (1613–1679) was made Cardinal de Retz in 1652. However, later that year, as a leader in the Fronde (French civil disturbances from 1648 to 1653), he was imprisoned by Cardinal Mazarin, the first minister of Louis XIII. Cardinal de Retz travelled widely in Europe before returning to France after Mazarin’s death in 1662. Given Retz’s probable age in the portrait – he appears to be in his late 50s – he may have been portrayed in Rome during one of the conclaves to elect the pope he attended in 1667, 1670 or 1676. The conclave of 1670 continued over a period of four months, so this seems the most likely opportunity for Retz to have commissioned a portrait.

The National Gallery, London

London

Title

Cardinal de Retz

Date

1676

Medium

Oil on canvas

Measurements

H 72.5 x W 58.2 cm

Accession number

NG2291

Acquisition method

Bequeathed by George Fielder, 1908

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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