Edmé Bouchardon (1698–1762)

Edme Bouchardon, the great French sculptor whose work marked the transition from Rococo to Neoclassical taste, appears in this 1758 portrait at the Academie royale de peinture et de sculpture. Artist portraits within the Academy served both as records of membership and as displays of the portraitist"s skill. Bouchardon, who created the Fountain of the Four Seasons in Paris, was at the height of his fame when Drouais painted him. 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 sculptor"s portrait presents an artist-colleague with the respect and attention appropriate to an eminent academician. Drouais may include references to Bouchardon"s craft—tools, models, or finished works—that identify the sitter"s profession. The handling is polished but perhaps slightly more relaxed than formal court portraits, reflecting the artistic world"s conventions. The face receives careful characterization that aims to convey creative intelligence.