The Artist in his Studio

How many portraits do you see here? There are actually five. The artist sits on the right with his palette and brushes in hand. The engraver Gérard Edelinck (1640–1707) sits next to him, and the two hold up a portrait print that Edelinck made from Largillière’s original painting (displayed at far right). The man standing behind them is Pierre Bernard, who commissioned the engraving. Eager to own images of famous contemporaries, many Frenchmen in Largillière’s day collected prints like this one. As celebrated here, collaborations of portrait painters and engravers could be immensely profitable. Such arrangements also brought art images to a wide audience at affordable prices.

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