Joseph Ducreux, who may have studied under Maurice Quentin de La Tour, was an extremely accomplished pastellist, as his technically brilliant portrait of his mother makes clear. The artist has even allowed the support to shine through. Also typical is Ducreux’s interest in physiognomic details, which in this case reveal a similarity to his own expressive eyes. 4/1.2022 The portrait painter Joseph Ducreux had his breakthrough already in 1769, with a commission to paint a pastel portrait of Archduchess Marie Antoinette. The portrait was sent in advance to France to be perused by her future husband Louis-Auguste (XVI), the heir apparent of France. This turned Ducreux into both a court painter and a baron without ever being a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. This pastel portrait of his mother is an example of the artist’s technical skill and his ability to capture the essence of a person. The latter greatly due to Ducreux’s interest in physiognomy, a field in which he excelled, as witnessed by the many self-portraits.