Portrait of Pierre Antoine de Boyer du Suquet

Art Historical Context

In the elegant world of 18th-century portraiture, Charles Nicolas Cochin II's *Portrait of Pierre Antoine de du Suquet* (1776) stands as a refined gem. Cochin II, a master engraver and draftsman closely tied to the French Royal Academy, captured the sitter—a likely nobleman, given his aristocratic name—in a compact circular format measuring just 2 3/4 inches (7 cm) in diameter This intimate scale evokes personal mementos, such as those worn in lockets or used in private collections during the Ancien Régime. Executed in graphite on off-white antique laid paper, the drawing showcases Cochin's precision with line and subtle tonal modeling, hallmarks of preparatory sketches for engravings or standalone studies. Graphite's versatility allowed for delicate shading that conveys character and texture, reflecting the era's shift toward naturalistic portraiture amid Rococo refinement and emerging Neoclassicism. The laid paper, with its visible chain lines, underscores authenticity from the period. Today, this work graces the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, a 2012 gift from Mrs. Charles Wrightsman. It offers visitors a window into pre-Revolutionary elite society, where such portraits preserved identity and status in an age of social flux.