Jacques André Portail

Jacques André Portail was an artist active across the first half of the eighteenth century, working approximately between 1695 and 1755. Known primarily through his works on paper, Portail’s documented output suggests a focus on detailed figural studies, genre scenes, and still life compositions. Eight drawings attributed to the artist are currently represented in major international collections.

The breadth of his subject matter includes formal portraiture, exemplified by works such as the study A French Gentleman Standing and the companion piece Sketches of a Gentleman. His draftsmanship is also evident in still life compositions, notably Flowers in a Silver Caster, Fruit in the Foreground, and the combined figure and still life study Old Man with a Basket of Fruit and Vegetables. Portail’s range extended to topography and landscape, as seen in Gezicht van een hooggelegen terras over een landschap met bochtige rivier.

The preservation of these works establishes Portail’s standing among collectors and scholars. Original Jacques André Portail prints are held in internationally renowned institutions, including the Rijksmuseum, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Art Institute of Chicago. Many of these important historical drawings and sketches are now in the public domain, making them frequently available as high-quality prints for scholarly and private collections.