1757
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
François Tronchin is a 1757 by Jean-Étienne Liotard, a Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A man sits at a table covered with books, papers, and tools. Behind him, a small painting leans on an easel. This is François Tronchin, a Geneva art collector. The painting on the easel is a real one—Rembrandt’s *Lady in Bed*, which Tronchin owned. Liotard didn’t just show a face; he showed what mattered to the man: art, math, and music. Look up *sfumato* to see how Liotard softened edges in pastel, just like Rembrandt did in oil.
This pastel drawing depicts François Tronchin, a prominent figure in his native Geneva and an impassioned patron of the arts. The table before Tronchin features a book, mathematical instruments, and papers that indicate his interests in architecture and music. Rembrandt's Lady in Bed , a painting that the Dutch master created around 1645 (today in the collection of the Scottish National Gallery) and the most highly prized painting in Tronchin's collection, rests on an easel nearby. Liotard considered the portrait of Tronchin among his finest works, and the meticulous rendering of the sitter's…
Jean-Etienne Liotard created portraits of eight other members of the Tronchin family around the same time as this pastel.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Jean-Étienne Liotard (French pronunciation: ; 22 December 1702 – 12 June 1789) was a Genevan painter, pastellist, printmaker, art theorist and art dealer.
See the richer artist page
