Nicolas-Henri Tardieu

Nicolas-Henri and Marie-Anne Tardieu had many descendants who were noted artists, most of them engravers.

Bernard Baron is recorded as having studied under Nicolas-Henri Tardieu. The recorded working language is French. Places of work recorded in the authority are Paris. Work by Nicolas-Henri Tardieu is recorded in the collections of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Finnish National Gallery and Nationalmuseum.

• Name — Nicolas-Henri Tardieu • Born — 18 January 1674 • Birthplace — Paris, France • Died — 27 January 1749 • Place of death — Paris, France • Spouse — Louise-Françoise Aveline, Marie-Anne Horthemels • Field — Engraving

• Illustration — The painter Charles-Antoine Coypel Nicolas-Henri Tardieu was born in Paris on 18 January 1674 and was baptized three days later. He was the son of Nicolas Tardieu, bourgeois de Paris, and Marie Aymiée [sic]. His father was a boilermaker, as were his two younger brothers. Possibly Nicolas-Henri used scraps of copper from his father's workshop for his early engravings. He was a student of Pierre Lepautre, Gérard Audran and Benoit Audran. Tardieu married Louise-Françoise Aveline, daughter of Jean Aveline and a relative of the engraver Pierre Aveline, on 1 September 1706 in the church of Saint-Jacques-du-Haut-Pas. Louise-Françoise was the widow of Laurent Baron, the commissioner of the oratory. Louise had two children from her first marriage, and had just one with Tardieu, Denis, born on 31 August 1707. She died on 18 November 1708. On 20 October 1712 Tardieu married again, to Marie-Anne Horthemels. She was the widow of the pastry-maker Germain Le Coq, who had worked for King Louis XIV (1638–1715) and for Louis's granddaughter-in-law the Duchess of Burgundy. Marie-Anne was one of three daughters of the Dutch bookseller Daniel Horthemels. Her sister Louise-Magdeleine Horthemels was an active reproductive engraver who married Charles-Nicolas Cochin, graveur du roi. Her other sister married Alexis Simon Belle, peintre ordinaire du roi. His second wife had a talent for engraving, and is known for her portraits of Cardinal de Bissy, Cardinal de Rohan and the Regent Philippe II, Duke of Orléans. She died on 24 March 1727. Tardieu was accredited to the Academy on 29 October 1712. He was received as a member of the Royal Academy and graveur du roi (official engraver to King Louis XV) on 29 November 1720 for his "Engraved portrait of the Duke of Antin" (Louis Antoine de Pardaillan de Gondrin), after a painting by Hyacinthe Rigaud. As one of the most prominent engravers of his time, Tardieu was commissioned to engrave plates for several major publications. He made engravings for the Crozat Collection and the Galerie de Versailles. Tardieu died on 27 January 1749 at his house on the Rue Saint-Jacques in Paris and was buried the next day. He was survived by his brother, Claude Tardieu, and his son, Jacques-Nicolas Tardieu.

Of at least eight engravers by the name of Tardieu, Nicolas-Henri was the most notable, one of the most prominent engravers in France for his versatile use of point and graver. He was author of many engravings of the highest quality. Tardieu held true to the principles of his master, Gérard Audran. He was an opponent of the fashionable trend towards less serious subjects, and attempted to pass on his traditionalist views to his pupils. Tardieu engraved several of Watteau's paintings. His version of Champs Elysées and Embarcation for Cythera are excellent interpretations of Watteau's work as etchings. Tardieu had an extraordinary ability to retain the "silvery" atmosphere of Watteau's paintings in his engravings. Tardieu also engraved copies of many of the Mays of Notre Dame, creating vital records for some of the originals that are now lost.

• Illustration — Marc-René de Voyer de Paulmy, 1st marquis d'Argenson. • Illustration — Habillement d'un chevalier porte-dais de la Sainte Ampoule • Illustration — Habillement d'un Seigneur Otage de la Sainte Ampoule, Le Marquis d'Alégre • Illustration — Adam and Eve; the Almighty seen above expelling them from Paradise. Victoria and Albert Museum. From the picture by Domenichino in the Devonshire Gallery. • Illustration — Jesus before Pontius Pilate after a work by François-Alexandre Verdier • Illustration — L'ombre de saint Pierre. After a work by François-Alexandre Verdier. Nancy, France: Musée des beaux-arts • Illustration — Les évangélistes: Saint Jean. After a work by Charles Lebrun. Nancy: Musée des beaux-arts • Illustration — Les évangélistes: Saint Luc. After a work by François-Alexandre Verdier. Nancy: Musée des beaux-arts • Illustration — Les évangélistes: Saint Matthieu. After a work by François-Alexandre Verdier. Nancy: Musée des beaux-arts