Jean-Étienne Liotard

Charming exhibition at the Royal Academy of the work of Jean-Étienne Liotard, an 18th century pastel painter.

From the lovely picture of his daughter holding a doll in the first room you discover a charming selection of people who Liotard paints with a sense of character not position. I love the powdery finish on the pastel works.

The show included one of the loveliest sets of pendant portraits I’ve ever seen, of Isaac and Julie de Thellusson-Ployard. They both look very happy and have beautiful clothes but most touching was that he wears a ring with a small miniature of her on it and she wears a bracelet with his picture on it, a delightful piece of painting.

I also fell for a picture of Lady Anne Somerset in a rather low cut number!

The last room included some lovely still lives and it was interesting to think that had collected Dutch still lives. He had a similar sense of heightened realism.

Closed 31 January 2016.

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