Portret van Maurice Quentin de la Tour 1772

This is Georg Friedrich Schmidt's portrait of Maurice Quentin de la Tour, an engraving now held at the Rijksmuseum. Schmidt, working in the 18th century, invites us into the world of artistic creation, but it is also a world steeped in the rigid social hierarchies of the time. De la Tour, himself a renowned portraitist, is presented here not just as an artist, but as a figure of status. Consider the elaborate wig, the confident gaze; these are markers of a man who occupied a privileged position within French society. Yet, Schmidt’s choice of engraving, a more accessible medium than painting, hints at a desire to broaden the reach of artistic representation. This portrait exists at the intersection of exclusivity and accessibility, tradition and innovation, reflecting the complex social dynamics of 18th-century Europe. Schmidt, through his skilled rendering, not only captures the likeness of de la Tour but also subtly questions the role of the artist in a changing world.