François-Hubert Drouais

François-Hubert Drouais was one of the most fashionable portrait painters in France under Louis XV. His portraits are fresh and pretty, with soft, pale skin, rosy cheeks, fine lace and silks, and his pictures of children are especially charming.

He was born in Paris in 1727, the son of the painter Hubert Drouais, and studied with Carle van Loo, Charles-Joseph Natoire and François Boucher. He was admitted to the Académie in 1758 and painted the royal family and much of the court. His Madame de Pompadour at her Tambour Frame, begun in 1763, is in the National Gallery in London, and he also painted Madame du Barry.

Boy with a Black Spaniel and Le Comte and Chevalier de Choiseul as Savoyards show his gift for children dressed up in costume. Look at the smooth faces and the sparkle in the eyes. He died in Paris in 1775.