The Painter Louis Joseph Maurice (1730–1820) 1772

This miniature portrait of Louis Joseph Maurice, a French painter, was created in 1772 by Swedish artist Peter Adolf Hall. Executed in watercolor on ivory, the work captures Maurice in a three-quarter view, his face looking slightly to the left, dressed in a brown jacket with a white cravat. The miniature is housed in a gilded oval frame, typical of the period and further emphasizing its intimate scale. Miniature portraiture was a popular art form in the 18th century, allowing patrons to commission small, personal representations of themselves or their loved ones. The work is now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.