Joseph Ducreux

Portrait of the Artist in the Guise of a Mocker ; circa 1793

June 26, 1735 - July 24, 1802

Joseph Ducreux was a French noble, portrait painter, pastelist, miniaturist, and engraver, who was a successful portraitist at the court of King Louis XVI of France, resuming his career at the conclusion of the French Revolution. He was made a baron and the “First Painter to the Queen” and drew the last portrait ever made of King Louis XVI before the King's execution. His less formal portraits reflect his fascination with physiognomy (a person's facial features or expression, especially when regarded as indicative of character or ethnic origin) and show an interest in expanding the range of facial expressions beyond those of conventional portraiture.

Born in Nancy, France, Ducreux may have trained with his father, who was also a painter. When Ducreux went to Paris in 1760, he trained as the only student of the pastelist Maurice Quentin de La Tour, who specialized in portraiture. Jean-Baptiste Greuze was an important influence on Ducreux's oil technique. In 1769 Ducreux was sent to Vienna in order to paint a miniature of Marie Antoinette before she left the city in 1770 and married King Louis XVI of France. Ducreux was made the “First Painter to the Queen” by Marie-Antoinette even though he was not a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, which had been founded in 1648. The academy was strictly hierarchical and the posts of first painter, ordinary painter, and inspector (or inspector general of royal factories) were customarily reserved for members of the academy. At the outbreak of the French Revolution, Ducreux traveled to London. There he drew the last portrait ever made of King Louis XVI before the king's execution. Jacques-Louis David became one of Ducreux's associates when the latter returned to Paris in 1793. David helped Ducreux continue an official career. Ducreux's residence became an informal salon for artists and musicians, who commissioned portraits from him. One of these musicians was his friend Étienne Méhul, who is said to have based the main character of one of his operas on Ducreux. Ducreux had several children. His eldest son Jules was a painter and infantry captain who died in the Battle of Jemappes; several of his paintings still exist. His other sons died young. His eldest daughter, Rose-Adélaïde Ducreux, also became a painter, as well as his daughter Antoinette-Clémence.

Ducreux specialized in portrait painting. He completed his early portraits in pastel, including those of connoisseurs Pierre-Jean Mariette, the Comte de Caylus and Ange-Laurent de la Live de July. These works may have been copies after De La Tour. Although Ducreux cataloged his works in list form from 1760 onward, he rarely signed his paintings. Thus, many of his works remain erroneously attributed to other artists. Other portraits by Ducreux include those of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos and Maria Theresa of Austria, as well as those mentioned above of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Ducreux also made several well-known self-portraits in the 1780s and 1790s, including one in 1783 in which he painted himself in the middle of a large yawn. In another, Portrait of the Artist in the Guise of a Mocker, the artist guffaws and points at the viewer. With these self-portraits Ducreux attempted to break free from the constraints of traditional portraiture. His interest in physiognomy—the belief that a person's outer appearance, especially the shape and lines of their face, could reveal their inner character—influenced him in creating his warm and individualistic works. For example his portrait The Silence depicts a man with a timorous facial expression requesting silence by pressing his finger against his mouth, gesturing what appears to be discretion or prudence. Through unusual body language and physical appearances, these portraits parallel the vivacious tronies  (a work showing an exaggerated facial expression or a stock character in costume) of Dutch Golden Age painting and the "character heads" of contemporary Austrian sculptor Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736–1783), some of whose busts were self-portraits with extreme expressions.

Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria, the later Queen Marie Antoinette of France ; 1769

Self-Portrait, Yawning ; circa 1783

The Silence ; circa 1790