Maurice Quentin de Latour

Maurice Quentin de Latour was an artist whose active period spanned nearly five decades, operating prominently between 1732 and 1779. His known production primarily consisted of highly detailed portraiture, focusing on character studies of notable individuals of the era.

The artist’s work is represented in major North American institutions, with five documented drawings held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago. These preserved works offer specific insight into his technique and range of subjects. Among the portraits represented in collections are the Self-Portrait, the Portrait of M. Louis Silvestre, and the detailed Portrait of Claude Charles Deschamps. Latour also executed portraits of the Mondonville family, specifically the Portrait of Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville and the Portrait of Madame Anne-Jeanne Cassanéa de Mondonville, née Boucon (1708-1780).

As many of his key works are now considered part of the public domain, art reference materials frequently utilize Maurice Quentin de Latour prints for scholarly examination. The continued study of these drawings establishes Latour’s historical position as a significant figure in eighteenth-century portraiture.