Caricature of Joseph-Benoît Suvée
mid-18th–early 19th century
Medium
Black chalk, counterproof
Dimensions
16 3/4 x 9 5/16 in. (42.6 x 23.7 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Jean-Pierre Selz, 1986
Accession Number
1986.176
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the lively world of 18th-century French art circles, François André Vincent crafted this playful *Caricature of Josephenoît Suvée*, likely during the mid-18th to early 19th century Vincent, a prominent Neoclassical history painter and student of Joseph-Marie Vien, captures his fellow artist—known for grand historical scenes and as director of the French Academy Rome—with exaggerated features that poke gentle fun at Suvée's distinctive profile. Such caricatures were common among artists, fostering camaraderie in academies and studios where wit sharpened creative bonds. The work's medium, bl...
About the Artist
François André Vincent · 1746–1816
French painter and draughtsman. He was one of the principal innovators in French art of the 1770s and 1780s, in the field of both Neo-classical subjects and themes from national history. Comment on works: Portraits; History