Artwork
Jean Marc Nattier (1685–1766)
Jean Marc Nattier (1685–1766) is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Louis Tocqué. It dates from 1745 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
By presenting Nattier with the tools of his trade, the work underscores his professional status and the Enlightenment valuation of artistic skill.
The portrait shows the French painter Jean-Marc Nattier holding a palette and brush, a conventional attribute that identifies him as an artist. By presenting Nattier with the tools of his trade, the work underscores his professional status and the Enlightenment valuation of artistic skill. The composition, executed in oil on canvas in 1745 by Louis Tocqué, reflects the mid-eighteenth-century interest in depicting creators within their artistic context. The painting is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Technique & Style
The 1745 portrait of Jean Marc Nattier by Louis Tocqué is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for mid-eighteenth-century French portraiture. The canvas measures 75.5 cm in height by 59.1 cm in width, yielding an upright format suited to a half-length depiction. The work is classified as a painting and belongs to the portrait genre, with the Metropolitan Museum of Art serving as its collection and present location.
The composition centers on Nattier himself, shown holding a palette, an attribute that signals his professional identity as a painter. The handling of the oil medium is consistent with academic practice of the period, though the sources do not provide further detail on brushwork, palette specifics, surface condition, or stylistic characterization beyond the generic portrait classification.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Jean Marc Nattier by Louis Tocqué is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting is an oil on canvas dated 1745, with recorded dimensions of 75.5 cm in height and 59.1 cm in width. No specific accession number, inventory designation, or prior exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Louis Tocqué’s 1745 oil painting captures the likeness of his contemporary, Jean-Marc Nattier, a distinguished French portraitist. This work exemplifies the genre of portraiture during the Rococo era, presenting Nattier as a professional artist holding a palette. The piece is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, offering insight into the artistic circles of 18th-century France.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean Louis Tocqué (French pronunciation:; 19 November 1696 – 10 February 1772) was a French painter. He specialized in portrait painting.
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