Self-portrait

Jean-François de Troy's 1696 Self-Portrait comes from the beginning of his independent career, when he had recently completed his training and was establishing himself in Paris. Self-portraits served both as demonstrations of technical ability and as records of artistic identity. De Troy would go on to become one of the most sought-after painters of elegant French society in the early 18th century, known for his tableaux de mode and history paintings. This early self-portrait shows his developing skills before his mature style fully crystallized.

De Troy presents himself in informal dress with a direct, self-assured gaze. The face is modeled with confident chiaroscuro, and the brushwork in the costume is looser and more spontaneous than in his formal commissioned portraits. The background is neutral and undistracted.