Jean Etienne Liotard

Jean Etienne Liotard – Initial setbacks followed by great success as a portrait painter 

Jean Etienne Liotard was born in Geneva on 22nd December 1702. As the son of a jeweller, he grew up in a wealthy family and had enough leisure time to pursue his artistic activities. He received his first training in Geneva under the miniature painter Daniel Gardelle, and in 1723 became a pupil of the miniature and history painter Jean-Baptiste Massé in Paris, with whom he remained until 1736. The year before, the artist had suffered a painful humiliation when the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture rejected his biblical history painting. Liotard subsequently turned his attention to portraiture, in which he quickly became a respected master thanks to his great richness of detail and bright colours. The French diplomat Marquis de Puysieux enabled Liotard to take a study trip to Rome, where the young painter studied not only the old masters but also the work of Antonio da Correggio. On this trip, Liotard also met William Ponsonby, with whom he travelled extensively in the Orient in 1738.

A prince of painters with an eccentric attitude

Jean Etienne Liotard lived in Constantinople from 1738 to 1743, dressed in the national costume and retained his oriental appearance when he returned home, earning him the nickname the ‘Turk’. With his exotic costume, which included a turban and a long beard, Liotard became a colourful and well-known figure in Vienna. One of his regular clients was Empress Maria Theresa herself; it was during these years that he created one of his most famous works, the pastel painting The Chocolate Girl on vellum. The painting moved its first buyer, the Italian writer and Count Francesco Algarotti, to lavish praise and had a considerable after-effect; in the 19th century it became the trademark of several cocoa and chocolate manufacturers. Today it adorns the famous Old Masters Picture Gallery in Dresden. When the highly esteemed Liotard left Vienna for good, the heartbroken Maria Theresa honoured him with precious gifts.

Highly paid grand master of pastel portrait painting

Jean Etienne Liotard proved to be extremely enterprising and made a considerable fortune with his art. He is said to have received 25 guineas for a head in pastel - at least according to his British painter colleague Joshua Reynolds, who took great offence at Liotard's appearance but could not help but acknowledge the consummate mastery of the idiosyncratic Swiss artist. Liotard was almost unrivalled as a pastel portrait painter, with only the French artist Maurice Quentin de La Tour an equal rival. In later years, Jean Etienne Liotard turned his attention to still lifes, whereby, in contrast to his previous, immensely elaborate and therefore much-admired works, he favoured highly simplified compositions. To prevent his audience from getting the wrong idea when looking at his paintings, he simply labelled his name and age very clearly.

Jean Etienne Liotard died on 12th June 1789 in his hometown of Geneva.