The Benediction

A painter and draftsman, Portail was given the title Dessinateur du Roi in 1738 and by 1740 held numerous positions at the French court at Versailles. In 1746 he was made a member of the Académie royale as a still-life painter, although today he is best known for his meticulous and observant chalk drawings. The old man who modelled for the Met's drawing appears in many works by Portail, sometimes as a saint and other times as a genre figure, as here. The perfect state of preservation of this drawing allows one to appreciate Portail’s detailed, almost trompe-l’oeil, technique. From the steaming bowl of porridge, to the folds in the tablecloth, to the old man’s frayed clothing, all is rendered in a highly tactile manner. Portail was particularly favored by the royal mistress, Madame de Pompadour, who owned this drawing.

Perrin Stein (2009)