Jacques Louis Francois Roussel, Marquis de Courcy 

Maurice Quentin de La Tour created this pastel portrait of Jacques Louis Francois Roussel, Marquis de Courcy. The composition is dominated by soft, diffused light, which lends the subject an almost ethereal quality. The textures, particularly in the wig and the lace collar, are rendered with remarkable detail. The artist coaxes the powdered wig into appearing both voluminous and delicate. Pastel as a medium allows for subtle gradations and a feathery touch, which La Tour exploits to soften the Marquis’ features. This was a strategic aesthetic choice, diverging from the rigid, formal portraiture of the era. La Tour’s technique, here, embraces a certain lightness and fluidity, destabilizing the fixed, idealized representations of aristocratic subjects. The softness in the rendering of the textures and light serves not only an aesthetic function but also conveys a nuanced representation of social status and personal identity. The portrait invites ongoing interpretation regarding its subversion of traditional portraiture.