Nicolas Lagneau

This portrait of an old man, his brow furrowed with wrinkles, his eyes creased with lines and his gaze inquisitive, is so descriptive in its depiction of age and so characterful in its portrayal of the sitter.  Nicolas Lagneau is an artist about whom we know very little, in terms of his origins or artistic itinerary, but whose portraits reveal a truthfulness, often showing the arduous country life his subjects must have led, that gives us great insight into Lagneau as a draughtsman.

The technique applied in the present portrait, and adopted throughout most of his portraiture, is a combination of black and red chalk and stumping, the black chalk being used mainly to build up form and the red chalk employed to bring out flesh tints on his sitters' faces, often to highlight the process of ageing.

The arrival of Lagneau’s portraits saw a marked break with tradition in France, moving away from the delicately refined and formal portraiture of François Clouet, towards a more naturalistic approach that would later sweep through the Northern Netherlands.