Portret van Joseph Marie Terray aan een bureau met een pen en brief in zijn hand

About this artwork

collector's mark: Lugt 2760

Art Historical Context

This striking 1774 engraving by Louis Jacques Cathelin captures Joseph Marie Terray, the influential French Controller-General of Finances, seated at his desk with pen and letter in hand. The composition emphasizes Terray’s role as a key administrator under Louis XV, portraying him in a moment of thoughtful correspondence that reflects the bureaucratic demands of the Ancien Régime. Created just months before the king’s death, the print offers a glimpse into the final years of pre-revolutionary France, when financial reforms and court politics dominated public life. Cathelin, a skilled French engraver, worked in the precise burin technique typical of eighteenth-century portraiture. Engravings like this one allowed detailed images of prominent figures to circulate widely among collectors and scholars, transforming private likenesses into accessible cultural documents. At over half a meter tall, the large scale further underscores the subject’s importance while showcasing the medium’s capacity for fine tonal gradations and crisp line work. A collector’s mark (Lugt 2760) on the sheet reminds us of the print’s journey through distinguished hands, highlighting how such works have long been valued for both their artistic merit and historical resonance.