François Tronchin
Jean-Étienne Liotard1757
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
This pastel drawing depicts François Tronchin, a prominent figure in his native Geneva and an impassioned patron of the arts. The table before Tronchin features a book, mathematical instruments, and papers that indicate his interests in architecture and music. Rembrandt's <em>Lady in Bed</em>, a painting that the Dutch master created around 1645 (today in the collection of the Scottish National Gallery) and the most highly prized painting in Tronchin's collection, rests on an easel nearby. Liotard considered the portrait of Tronchin among his finest works, and the meticulous rendering of the sitter's powdered wig, transparent flesh, and lace cuffs suggest the skill he had developed in pastel at this time.
- Title: François Tronchin
- Creator: Jean-Etienne Liotard (Swiss, 1702–1789)
- Date Created: 1757
- Physical Dimensions: Unframed: 38 x 46.3 cm (14 15/16 x 18 1/4 in.)
- Provenance: François Tronchin [1704-1798], Geneva, by descent to Jean-Louis Robert Tronchin, Jean-Louis Robert Tronchin [1763- ?], Geneva, by descent to Armand Henri Tronchin, Armand Henri Tronchin [1794-1865], Bessinge, Sweden, by descent to Louis-Rémy-Nosky Tronchin, Louis-Rémy-Nosky Tronchin [1825-1873], Geneva, by descent to Henry Tonchin, Henry Tronchin [1853-1891], by descent to Robert Tronchin, Robert Tronchin [1883-?], by descent to Christiane Tronchin, Marquise de Hillerin, Paris, Christiane Tronchin, Marquise de Hillerin, Paris, sold as part of the Tronchin collcetion to Xavier Givaudan, Xavier Givaudan, Geneva, by descent to André Givaudan, André Givaudan, Geneva, (Léon Givaudan, Paris, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH), Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Drawing
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1978.54
- Medium: pastel on parchment
- Inscriptions: signed and dated, in black crayon, at lower right: par. J.E. Liotard / 1757; on verso, in red: TH / 51; mark of the Tronchin family
- Fun Fact: Jean-Etienne Liotard created portraits of eight other members of the Tronchin family around the same time as this pastel.
- Department: Drawings
- Culture: Switzerland
- Credit Line: John L. Severance Fund
- Collection: DR - Swiss
- Accession Number: 1978.54
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