Bust of a Man with a Jabot

The Bust of a Man with a Jabot by Jacques-Louis David French, 1748-1825, is a compelling study demonstrating the artist's unparalleled skill as a draftsman. Executed during the height of the Napoleonic era, between 1805 and 1815, this intimate piece was rendered using black crayon on off-white laid paper, a format that allows the meticulous details of the subject’s expression and attire to emerge sharply. The sheet was later secured by being edge mounted onto cream wove paper, a standard conservation technique for drawings of the period.

The work portrays an unidentified male subject, likely a member of the bourgeois or aristocratic class, depicted from the chest up. The formal jabot—a pleated or ruffled neckpiece—worn by the man is characteristic of high fashion in early 19th-century France, reflecting the transition between revolutionary austerity and Imperial formality. Although David is most widely celebrated for his monumental Neoclassical history paintings, such as The Death of Marat and his formal state portraits, this drawing provides a glimpse into his exacting preparatory methods or his talent for capturing private likenesses.

The controlled yet robust application of the black crayon emphasizes the texture of the fabric against the stark pallor of the paper, giving the man a serious and commanding presence. Classified simply as a Drawing, this piece serves as a vital record of the period’s portraiture style, demonstrating David's influence on French academic art. This celebrated work is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. For researchers and enthusiasts worldwide, high-quality prints and images derived from this material are often made available through public domain initiatives, ensuring broad access to the master's preparatory genius.