Portrait of Jean Alphonse Turrettini

Art Historical Context

This elegant 18th-century engraving *Portrait of Jean Alphon Turrettini*, captures the dignified likeness of a notable figure, likely a scholar or cleric from Geneva, rendered with the precision typical of period portraiture. Attributed to Swiss artists Jean Michel Liotard, known for his refined portrait paintings, and Robert Gardelle a skilled engraver, the work reflects the collaborative spirit of Enlightenment-era art production, where painters' designs were translated into prints for broader audiences. As an engraving, the piece exemplifies a key reproductive medium of the time, allowing detailed images to be multiplied and distributed across Europe. The plate measures 9 13/16 x 7 5/8 inches, but the full sheet—21 5/8 x 14 3/16 inches—suggests it was framed for prominent display in homes or studies. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it entered the collection in 2009 as a generous gift from Susan Schulman Printseller and Carolyn Bullard Fine Prints, preserving this snapshot of 18th-century male portrait conventions. Engravings like this bridged elite portrait painting with public accessibility, immortalizing sitters like Turrettini and offering visitors a window into the intellectual and cultural life of the Rococo era.

About the Artist

Jean Michel Liotard|Robert Gardelle (Swiss|Italian) · 1702 |1628 –1796 |1719

Swiss, Geneva 1702–1796 Geneva|Italian, Bologna 1628–1719 Forlì