Portrait of Cardinal de la Rochefoucauld (Dominique de la Rochefoucauld), Archbishop of Rouen

Cardinal de la Rochefoucauld, Archbishop of Rouen, appears in this 1749 portrait, one of Drouais"s earliest known works from a period when the young painter was just emerging from his training. The cardinal"s ecclesiastical authority and the Rochefoucauld family"s prestige made this an important early commission. The early date places the portrait before Drouais had fully developed the polished court manner that would define his mature work. Drouais was among the most successful portraitists of pre-Revolutionary France, working in the tradition of his father Hubert Drouais and studying under Carle van Loo, Natoire, and Boucher before establishing himself at court.

The ecclesiastical portrait shows the young Drouais working in a more restrained mode than his later court paintings, with the cardinal"s vestments providing the primary color—deep crimson and purple—against a dark background. The face is rendered with careful attention to the aging prelate"s features, showing the foundation of portraiture skill that would mature into Drouais"s celebrated technique.