Louis Tocqué

Louis Tocqué painted faces. In the 1700s, he worked in Paris and later moved to Rome, where he made polished portraits of French diplomats and writers. See his “Portretul unui literat” in our collection—it shows a sitter in powdered wig and velvet coat against a dark background, the kind of image that hung in 18th-century salons to announce status. After Rome, he returned to France, where his brush captured the powdered elegance of the ancien régime. Tap “Portretul unui literat” to zoom in on every lace ruffle and quill.