Pastel Portraits of Jean-Baptiste Perronneau: 18th-Century Master

A Girl with a Kitten
Jean-Baptiste Perronneau,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

INTRODUCTION

In the mid-18th century, amidst the cultural flourish of the French Enlightenment, portraiture served as a primary means of documenting status, identity, and intellect. 

While oil painting remained the traditional standard, the medium of pastel portraiture experienced a golden age, characterized by immediacy, intimacy, and a uniquely vibrant color palette. 

At the forefront of this movement stood Jean-Baptiste Perronneau (c. 1715–1783), an artist whose works are celebrated for their psychological depth, delicate finish, and extraordinary command over color harmony. 

Though perpetually overshadowed by his great rival, Maurice Quentin de La Tour, Perronneau’s contribution cemented the pastel as a serious and powerful artistic medium.

The Ascent and Style of a Pastel Master

Born in Paris, Perronneau initially trained as an engraver under Laurent Cars before transitioning to oil painting and then, decisively, to pastels in the 1740s. He gained entry to the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1753, presenting portraits of fellow artists Jean-Baptiste Oudry and Lambert-Sigisbert Adam. 

His early adoption of the pastel—a medium composed of pure powdered pigment—allowed him to capture the textures and complexions of his sitters with exceptional luminosity.

Perronneau’s signature style is distinct from the dazzling, theatrical brilliance of his contemporary, La Tour. Where La Tour specialized in capturing the external wit and energy of the Parisian elite with heavy, layered pastel that required viewing from a distance, Jean-Baptiste Perronneau focused on psychological insight. 

His finished pastel portraits often employed delicate, blended strokes, making the sitter appear approachable and contemplative. Perronneau was hailed by his peers as the superior colorist, mastering subtle, almost monochromatic palettes—such as the rich ochres, cool grays, and muted blue-grays—which lent his subjects an air of quiet dignity and intellectual depth indicative of the Enlightenment spirit.

Madame de Sorquainville
Jean-Baptiste Perronneau,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Masterpieces of Pastel Portraiture

Among the many exemplary pastel portrait paintings Perronneau produced, several masterpieces stand out.

The Portrait of Madame de Sorquainville (1749) exemplifies his genius. 

The sitter is rendered in soft, subtle ochres and browns, with a quiet intensity in her gaze that speaks volumes of her inner life, perfectly capturing the spirit of an intelligent, upper-middle-class woman of her era. 

Similarly, the portrait of Olivier Journu (1756), a Bordeaux merchant, showcases Perronneau’s technical prowess. The portrait features a dashing young man whose face is modeled with an exquisite softness, contrasting sharply with the efficient, expressive strokes used to depict the sheen of his velvet jacket and the intricate lace collar. 

Another famous work, the Girl with a Cat (c. 1743), demonstrates his skill in genre-infused portraiture, capturing a moment of tender intimacy often associated with the Rococo era.

Here is a description of the artistic specialties of five major public domain pastel portraits by Perronneau:

Madame de Sorquainville Louvre Museum

Français : Madame de Sorquainville

Jean-Baptiste Perronneau,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

1. Portrait of Madame de Sorquainville (1749)

• Specialty: Psychological Depth and Tonal Harmony

• Description: This work is considered a masterpiece of Enlightenment portraiture, moving beyond mere surface beauty. Perronneau renders Madame de Sorquainville in a subtle palette dominated by cool grays and soft ochres. 

• The artistic genius lies in the quiet yet profound psychological intensity conveyed by her gaze and slight half-smile. Perronneau uses delicate, almost invisible blending to model her features, creating an atmosphere of intellectual reflection and contemplative dignity. 

• This piece perfectly showcases his reputation as the premier colorist who mastered subtle, almost monochromatic harmony.

Painting, drawing, pastels & oil
Sketches on Paper
Olivier Journu (1724–1764)
Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, CC0,
via Wikimedia Commons

2. Portrait of Olivier Journu (1756)

• Specialty: Contrast of Finish and Depiction of Texture

• Description: Olivier Journu demonstrates Perronneau’s ability to depict the social rise of the Bordeaux merchant class. 

• The specialty here is the dramatic contrast in technique between the sitter's face and his attire. 

• The face is painted with exquisite softness and meticulous detail, giving the sitter a vulnerable, self-aware expression. 

• In contrast, the velvet of the jacket and the intricacy of the white lace cravat are rendered with bold, efficient, and sometimes visible pastel strokes. 

• This technical duality captures both the sitter's humanity and his wealth.

A Girl with a Kitten
Jean-Baptiste Perronneau,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

3. Girl with a Cat (c. 1743)

• Specialty: Intimacy and Genre-Infused Portraiture

• Description: This portrait stands out for its sense of Rococo intimacy and informality. Instead of a formal sitting, the subject (often thought to be a young relative) is shown engaging with a cat, a spontaneous, genre-like element unusual for formal commissions. 

• The lighting is soft and flattering, emphasizing the subject’s youth and innocence. 

• Perronneau’s pastel work here is characterized by a light, feathery application, particularly in the subject’s hair and clothing, capturing a fleeting, tender moment that appeals to the sensibility of domestic life.

4. Portrait of Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1750)

• Specialty: Sincerity and Artistic Rivalry Context

• Description: While a self-portrait is often dramatic, Perronneau's pastel of his great rival, La Tour, is a study in sincerity and professional respect. The specialty of this work is its direct, unvarnished depiction. Perronneau captures La Tour in a straightforward, focused pose, perhaps working or contemplating, without the theatrical flourishes that La Tour often used in his own self-portraits to emphasize his role as court painter. The work serves as a powerful testament to Perronneau's dedication to honest representation, even when depicting a competitor.

Portrait of Jean-Baptiste Oudry
Jean-Baptiste Perronneau,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

5. Portrait of Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1753)

• Specialty: Professional Dignity and Academic Achievement

• Description: This portrait of the celebrated animal painter, Oudry, served as one of Perronneau’s reception pieces for his full admission to the Académie Royale. The specialty here is the successful representation of professional gravity. 

• Perronneau emphasizes Oudry's status and intellect through a dignified pose and focused expression. 

• The execution demonstrates the meticulous finishing expected by the Academy, combining the softness of pastel with a controlled, precise approach to detail, particularly in the rendering of Oudry's eyes, which convey the intelligence and scrutiny of an artist.

These five portraits illustrate Perronneau’s versatility, showcasing his ability to pivot from tender, Rococo-inspired scenes to profoundly dignified psychological studies, all while using the delicate and luminous medium of pastel.

Legacy and Enduring Value

Jean-Baptiste Perronneau’s enduring significance lies in his elevation of the pastel medium. By demonstrating that pastels could achieve both the dramatic detail and the emotional profundity of oil painting, he ensured the medium was recognized as a serious discipline. 

His work, characterized by its luminous quality and delicate layering, provides an invaluable window into the psychological landscape of the 18th-century bourgeoisie. 

Today, major works by Jean-Baptiste Perronneau are highly prized and housed in institutions like the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery in London, confirming his status as one of the true titans of 18th-century French art and a master of the unparalleled pastel portrait.

That is a fantastic follow-up question. Jean-Baptiste Perronneau’s mastery is best understood by examining the distinct specialties he brought to individual works. Since his works are from the 18th century, they are generally in the public domain.

The Rivalry with Maurice Quentin de La Tour

Any discussion of 18th-century French pastel work is incomplete without addressing the dynamic between Perronneau and La Tour. The latter secured the dominant position at court, painting royalty and high society. 

This left Perronneau, who lacked La Tour's social connections, to seek commissions largely from the bourgeoisie, intellectuals, and merchants in the French provinces and abroad. 

This necessitated an itinerant career, with Perronneau traveling extensively to cities like Bordeaux, Toulouse, Orléans, and even Amsterdam and St. Petersburg.

The rivalry came to a head at the Salon of 1750 when Perronneau exhibited his sincere pastel of La Tour. In a famed act of artistic confrontation, La Tour countered by exhibiting a self-portrait, implicitly asserting his superiority and monopolizing the public’s attention. 

Yet, despite this professional setback, Perronneau's dedication to his craft resulted in works that arguably possess greater emotional resonance and a more refined color complexity. Perronneau frequently worked on blue-gray laid paper, allowing the color of the support to infuse the composition, particularly in the shadows, a technique that amplified the serene quality of his pastel technique.