Portrait of Étienne François, comte de Stainville, duc de Choiseul
1704
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1704
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
Portrait of Étienne François, comte de Stainville, duc de Choiseul is a 1704 unspecified by Jacques Thouron, a Rococo painting work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a man sitting in a formal pose. He's dressed in fancy clothes and has a serious expression. The artist used a special process to make the painting last longer. The process involved firing many layers of colored metal to create a strong and durable image. This was important because it helped preserve the portrait over time. It's interesting that the artist chose this method. You can learn more about this technique by looking into impasto.
Unlike fragile portrait miniatures painted in watercolor on vellum or ivory, which are prone to cracking, fading, and flaking, enamels are resilient, impervious to the effects of light, and retain their striking original colors over time. Partly for this reason enamel was considered ideal for reproducing famous paintings and treasured portraits in a reduced and luminous form. The complicated and labor-intensive process of enameling required the artist to fire numerous layers of colored metal oxide at different temperatures. This process made it difficult to produce a faithful portrait…
Read the full account in the museum source.
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