The Favourite Cat and De La-Tour Painter

Art Historical Context

Behold *The Favourite Cat and De La-T Painter* (1813), a delightful etching, engraving, and stipple print by Scottish caricaturist John Kay This intimate work captures the renowned French Rococo pastell Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1704–1788) in a whimsical moment with his beloved cat, portraiture with gentle humor. Kay, famous for his etched vignettes of Edinburgh's notables, pays tribute here to de La Tour's legacy as one of the 18th century's finest pastel artists, whose luminous portraits graced European courts. Measuring just 4⅝ × 6 inches, the print showcases Kay's mastery of mixed intaglio techniques: etching for crisp lines, engraving for depth, and stipple for subtle tonal gradations that bring the cat's fur and de La Tour's expressive face to life. Produced over two decades after de La Tour's death, it reflects the era's fascination with celebrity artists and their personal quirks, circulated as an affordable collector's item. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917), this charming piece highlights the cultural interplay between French elegance and Scottish satire, inviting us to see the man behind the masterpieces—and his furry muse.