Jean-Etienne Liotard (1702-1789)’s parents were French Huguenots who fled to the independent Protestant city state of Geneva. Thus the lad was born in Geneva, did some of his training there and later finished his training in Paris.
He first joined some very Grand Tourists in Italy such as Viscount Duncannon and the Earl of Sandwich and accompanied them to the Levant. He spent 4 amazing years in Constantinople (1738-42), absorbing the visual pleasures of the exotic East. "The Turk", as he called himself, only adopted his Oriental costume and beard in Constantinople, where he painted expatriate residents and scenes of everyday life in the Ottoman Empire. Then he continued being The Turk wherever he travelled across Europe. The exactness of his eastern costumes in his portraits presumably recorded what both Turkish citizens wore, and what members of the Western merchant community wore while they lived amongst the locals.
His portrayal of life in the Ottoman Empire in the mid C18th, and of his fashionable European sitters in Turkish attire, in some way inspired the C19th taste for Orientalism. In his day he was one of Europe’s most sought-after portraitists, worth high prices and a loyal, international clientele. From delicate lace and silks to exotic turbans and furs, Liotard’s depictions of textiles showed his impressive command of textiles, decorative details and a sense of fashion.
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He first joined some very Grand Tourists in Italy such as Viscount Duncannon and the Earl of Sandwich and accompanied them to the Levant. He spent 4 amazing years in Constantinople (1738-42), absorbing the visual pleasures of the exotic East. "The Turk", as he called himself, only adopted his Oriental costume and beard in Constantinople, where he painted expatriate residents and scenes of everyday life in the Ottoman Empire. Then he continued being The Turk wherever he travelled across Europe. The exactness of his eastern costumes in his portraits presumably recorded what both Turkish citizens wore, and what members of the Western merchant community wore while they lived amongst the locals.
His portrayal of life in the Ottoman Empire in the mid C18th, and of his fashionable European sitters in Turkish attire, in some way inspired the C19th taste for Orientalism. In his day he was one of Europe’s most sought-after portraitists, worth high prices and a loyal, international clientele. From delicate lace and silks to exotic turbans and furs, Liotard’s depictions of textiles showed his impressive command of textiles, decorative details and a sense of fashion.
Liotard,
Laura Tarsi as a Grecian Lady, 1741,
10 x 8 cm.
Fitzwilliam Museum
The Fitzwilliam said that little was known about Laura Tarsi in this exquisite miniature, beyond her name and nationality. Its provenance led to the supposition that she was the mistress of John Manners, Marquess of Granby (1721-1770) when both were living in Constantinople in the early 1740s. And note that Liotard also painted three other versions of the portrait of the lovely Laura.
Then Liotard and his aristocratic patrons went to the courts of Moldavia/Romania, Vienna, Germany, Paris for 7 more years, then Britain, Holland and on through central Europe. Wherever he went, he enjoyed considerable success, exploiting his potent reputation as an Orientalist painter. It is worth noting that throughout his long career, his major British aristocratic patrons continued to commission portraits from him, wherever in Europe the artist was calling home at the time. And the love affair lasted - Hon William Ponsonby, Viscount Duncannon, became one of his greatest patrons and single handedly bought 72 Liotards!
Liotard was an artist in great demand across Enlightenment Europe and beyond, including when he was specifically commissioned to paint portraits of members of the British, French and Austrian royal families. No wonder! His distinctive portraits conjured up the magnificence and cultural curiosity of that very royal age.
He was one of the most accomplished portraitists of his day, travelling and working on beautifully crafted portraits, mostly pastels on parchment. But why pastels? Yes they were applied in an open, painterly way, using up to 90% pigment for brilliant colours. But Liotard’s portraits were much more finely crafted, highly polished and exquisitely detailed than other artists’ portraits were. We can see that he originally trained as a miniaturist! Using very finely sharped hard pastel chalks pastels alongside softer and broader pastel sticks, historians suggested he gave a real sense of liveliness to his sitters, especially around their eyes.
Then Liotard and his aristocratic patrons went to the courts of Moldavia/Romania, Vienna, Germany, Paris for 7 more years, then Britain, Holland and on through central Europe. Wherever he went, he enjoyed considerable success, exploiting his potent reputation as an Orientalist painter. It is worth noting that throughout his long career, his major British aristocratic patrons continued to commission portraits from him, wherever in Europe the artist was calling home at the time. And the love affair lasted - Hon William Ponsonby, Viscount Duncannon, became one of his greatest patrons and single handedly bought 72 Liotards!
Liotard was an artist in great demand across Enlightenment Europe and beyond, including when he was specifically commissioned to paint portraits of members of the British, French and Austrian royal families. No wonder! His distinctive portraits conjured up the magnificence and cultural curiosity of that very royal age.
He was one of the most accomplished portraitists of his day, travelling and working on beautifully crafted portraits, mostly pastels on parchment. But why pastels? Yes they were applied in an open, painterly way, using up to 90% pigment for brilliant colours. But Liotard’s portraits were much more finely crafted, highly polished and exquisitely detailed than other artists’ portraits were. We can see that he originally trained as a miniaturist! Using very finely sharped hard pastel chalks pastels alongside softer and broader pastel sticks, historians suggested he gave a real sense of liveliness to his sitters, especially around their eyes.
Liotard,
Self Portrait, 1744,
38 x 25 cm
38 x 25 cm
Uffizi Gallery Florence.
When he arrived in London, the artist was still styling himself as le Peintre Turc, walking around town with a long beard and Turkish dress.
His treatment of materials was very special: the viewer can readily distinguish between fur, satin, velvet, lace and covered buttons. Naturally many of his sitters chose to be depicted in very exotic costumes with very lush materials. Laura Tarsi's outfit was typical of the layered look and richly embroidered fabrics that enjoyed such a vogue among fashionable Europeans.
His wide range of subjects, both geographically and socially, was also impressive. Sober Genevan citizens, English Grand Tourists, exiled Jacobites, diplomats, princes and progressive thinkers all admired his skills.
The Scottish National Gallery and the Royal Academy of Arts in London each completed a major Liotard exhibition in 2015-16. Both exhibitions showed that Liotard was loved for his subject matter – especially the works he produced during his time in Constantinople in 1738. A highlight was a wonderful group of drawings in red and black chalk that depicted scenes of contemporary Turkish life. These works were important as records AND because they influenced the West’s increasing taste for the Orient.
The exhibitions followed his travels, taking us from Liotard’s self-portraits and portraits of his family, to portraits of his British and continental patrons, both courtly and aristocratic.
These were the first retrospective exhibitions in the UK to be devoted to Liotard, bringing together over 70 rarely-seen works. Covering the artist’s time in Paris, Vienna, Geneva, Constantinople and London, they were a long-overdue celebration of an artist the students and I found accidentally and really enjoyed.
His treatment of materials was very special: the viewer can readily distinguish between fur, satin, velvet, lace and covered buttons. Naturally many of his sitters chose to be depicted in very exotic costumes with very lush materials. Laura Tarsi's outfit was typical of the layered look and richly embroidered fabrics that enjoyed such a vogue among fashionable Europeans.
His wide range of subjects, both geographically and socially, was also impressive. Sober Genevan citizens, English Grand Tourists, exiled Jacobites, diplomats, princes and progressive thinkers all admired his skills.
The Scottish National Gallery and the Royal Academy of Arts in London each completed a major Liotard exhibition in 2015-16. Both exhibitions showed that Liotard was loved for his subject matter – especially the works he produced during his time in Constantinople in 1738. A highlight was a wonderful group of drawings in red and black chalk that depicted scenes of contemporary Turkish life. These works were important as records AND because they influenced the West’s increasing taste for the Orient.
The exhibitions followed his travels, taking us from Liotard’s self-portraits and portraits of his family, to portraits of his British and continental patrons, both courtly and aristocratic.
These were the first retrospective exhibitions in the UK to be devoted to Liotard, bringing together over 70 rarely-seen works. Covering the artist’s time in Paris, Vienna, Geneva, Constantinople and London, they were a long-overdue celebration of an artist the students and I found accidentally and really enjoyed.
Royal Academy of Arts Exhibition poster,
Liotard, Maria Adelaide Reading, 1753
Uffizi Gallery Florence
I warmly recommend the exhibition catalogue which presented important new research on the artist by the 3 curators. And I am very grateful to Neil Jeffares for his in-depth search in publishing Dictionary of Pastellists Before 1800.