The Benediction

ca. 1760

Not on view

A painter and draftsman, Portail was given the title Dessinateur du Roi in 1738 and by 1740 held numerous positions at the French court at Versailles. In 1746 he was made a member of the Académie royale as a still-life painter, although today he is best known for his meticulous and observant chalk drawings. The old man who modelled for the Met's drawing appears in many works by Portail, sometimes as a saint and other times as a genre figure, as here. The perfect state of preservation of this drawing allows one to appreciate Portail’s detailed, almost trompe-l’oeil, technique. From the steaming bowl of porridge, to the folds in the tablecloth, to the old man’s frayed clothing, all is rendered in a highly tactile manner. Portail was particularly favored by the royal mistress, Madame de Pompadour, who owned this drawing.

Perrin Stein (2009)

Artwork Details

Title: The Benediction
Artist: Jacques André Portail (French, Brest 1695–1759 Versailles)
Date: ca. 1760
Medium: Red and black chalk, touches of brush and gray wash
Dimensions: sheet: 16 7/16 x 13 1/8 in. (41.8 x 33.4 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Purchase, Thomas Williams and Stephen A. Geiger Gifts, 2010
Object Number: 2010.17
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Jacques André Portail

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Flowers in a Silver Caster, Fruit in the Foreground, Jacques André Portail French, Watercolor, over traces of graphite — Flowers in a Silver Caster, Fruit in the Foreground
Jacques André Portail
18th century

Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of Ahasuerus, Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée) French, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, heightened with white, over black chalk — Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of Ahasuerus
Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée)
1658

The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons, Jacques Louis David French, Black chalk, pen and black and brown ink, brush and gray and brown wash, heightened with white gouache — The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons
Jacques Louis David
1787

Germain-Augustin and Rose de Saint-Aubin, Drawn by Their Uncle, Gabriel de Saint-Aubin French, Gray wash over black chalk and graphite. — Germain-Augustin and Rose de Saint-Aubin, Drawn by Their Uncle
Gabriel de Saint-Aubin
1766

Portrait of Charlotte Duchesne, Philippe de Champaigne French, Black chalk, heightened with white, with touches of red chalk — Portrait of Charlotte Duchesne
Philippe de Champaigne
ca. 1628

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