Portrait of Louis Tocqué

Louis Tocqué was himself a distinguished French portraitist—a pupil of Nattier's and the painter who would eventually take over Nattier's role as the leading portraitist of the French court. Nattier's portrait of his former student, now at Charlottenborg Palace in Copenhagen—the historic seat of the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts—reflects the personal and professional bond between the two artists. Tocqué worked extensively in Scandinavia, visiting St Petersburg and Copenhagen, and the presence of his portrait in Denmark likely reflects his period of activity there in the 1750s. A portrait of one artist by another is always a special category of historical document: both men were deeply invested in the conventions and achievements of their shared practice, and Nattier's image of Tocqué would have been understood by both as a statement about the lineage and dignity of French portraiture. The undated painting may originate from any point in their decades-long acquaintance.

Painting a fellow portraitist allowed Nattier to work without the social constraints of court commissions. The image likely conveys professional kinship rather than aristocratic rank, and may show a more direct, less idealised treatment of the face than his commissioned portraits.