Portrait of the Artist Charles-Michel-Ange Challe

Drawn portraits in profile, in a medallion, were very popular in France from around 1760 onwards. Trinquesse here portrayed his colleague Challe (whose drawings are displayed nearby) in his preferred red chalk technique. He modelled the sitter’s soft flesh and the curls of his wig with subtle strokes. Inscribed with Challe’s name and title, the mount lends this drawing a monumental appearance.