plate no. 3980

Portrait of King Louis XV

pastel, paper, canvasRococoportraitportraitfigurearmorclothingroyalwig

recreation guide

This recreation guide focuses on Maurice Quentin de La Tour’s *Portrait of King Louis XV* (1748), a seminal work of the Rococo period executed in pastel on paper and canvas. De La Tour was a specialist in pastel portraiture, renowned for endowing his subjects with a 'distinctive charm and intelligence' through a 'delicate but sure touch' that rendered a 'pleasing softness' to their features (Source 4). Unlike oil painters of his time, de La Tour worked directly with dry pigments, avoiding the fluidity of wet media to achieve a matte, luminous finish that closely mimicked the texture of skin and fabric without the gloss of varnish.

estimated time

40-60 hours over 8-12 sessions

materials

5 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Soft pastels (full set)	Primary medium for applying color and texture.	High-quality soft pastels (e.g., Sennelier, Holbein) with high pigment load.
Canvas-mounted paper or heavy watercolor paper	Support surface. De La Tour often mounted paper on canvas for stability and presentation.	Heavyweight cold-pressed watercolor paper (300gsm+) mounted on linen canvas.
Toothed paper or sandpaper backing (optional)	To provide 'tooth' for the pastel to grip, ensuring the pigment adheres without smudging excessively.	Sanded pastel paper or a light application of pumice powder.
Fixative (workable and final)	To preserve the fragile dry medium between layers and upon completion.	Spray fixative designed for pastels.
Blending stumps or tortillons	To soften edges and create the 'pleasing softness' characteristic of de La Tour’s style.	Paper blending stumps.

preparation

surface prep

De La Tour worked on paper, often mounted on canvas for structural integrity (Source 5). The surface should be prepared to accept dry pigment. If using plain paper, a light coating of gum arabic or a specific pastel ground may be applied to increase tooth, though de La Tour’s historical practice likely relied on the natural texture of high-quality paper. Ensure the surface is clean and free of oils.

underdrawing

De La Tour’s technique was characterized by a 'delicate but sure touch' (Source 4), suggesting a confident, direct approach rather than extensive preliminary sketching. Use a light, neutral pastel (such as a pale grey or ochre) to lightly block in the major proportions of the head, shoulders, and clothing. Avoid hard pencil lines, which can show through the translucent pastel layers.

underpainting

Not applicable in the traditional oil sense. In pastel, the 'underpainting' is achieved through the initial layering of light tones. Begin with the lightest values of the skin and background to establish the tonal range, adhering to the principle that 'the lightest tone will be lowered, and the darkest tone will be heightened' by subsequent layers (Source 2).

color palette

Warm Flesh Tones (Peach, Pink, Ochre)

Yellow ochre, red ochre, white, and subtle hints of violet for shadows.

General use in this artist's palette for skin. De La Tour avoided the 'common error' of using only red and white, instead seeking the 'predominating colour in the complexion' and using complementary contrasts to enhance brilliance (Source 1).

Cool Shadows (Lavender, Grey-Blue)

White mixed with small amounts of blue and red, or pre-mixed grey pastels.

Shadows on the face and neck. Using 'broken tones' or 'grey' helps avoid monotony and creates harmony through contrast (Source 1).

Royal Blue/White (Clothing)

Ultramarine or cobalt blue, white, and black for depth.

King Louis XV’s attire. The contrast between the cool tones of the clothing and the warm tones of the skin is crucial for the portrait's effect (Source 1).

Neutral Background (Grey-Green or Grey-Brown)

Earth tones mixed with white and black.

Background. A well-chosen background color is essential; a 'poor effect' results if the background is not chosen to complement the complexion and dress (Source 1).

composition

While specific compositional details of this 1748 portrait are not described in the provided sources, de La Tour’s portraits typically feature a three-quarter view or bust-length format, focusing intensely on the sitter’s face and upper torso to convey 'charm and intelligence' (Source 4). The composition likely emphasizes the contrast between the subject’s complexion and the background/clothing to enhance visual impact, consistent with the 'law of contrast' principles applicable to portrait painters (Source 1).

step by step

underdrawing→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Lightly sketch the outline of the head, shoulders, and clothing using a neutral pastel. Focus on accurate proportions rather than detail.
Tip — Keep lines light; they will be covered by subsequent layers.
Direct drawing

first pass

step 02
Apply the lightest tones of the skin and background. Establish the basic value structure. Use broad, soft strokes to lay down the 'predominating colour' of the complexion.
Tip — Observe the 'modifications of the light on the model' (or reference) to ensure accurate color perception (Source 2).
Tonal blocking

refining

step 03
Build up mid-tones and shadows. Use complementary colors to enhance contrast; for example, use cool greys or lavenders in the shadows of warm skin tones. This applies the 'principle of harmony of contrast' (Source 1).
Tip — Be aware that the eye may see colors inaccurately due to 'mixed contrast' after staring at one color for too long; take breaks to reset vision (Source 2).
Simultaneous contrast
step 04
Refine the clothing and background. Ensure the colors of the dress and background are chosen to give 'value' to the complexion. Avoid 'crudity or too great intensity' by using light tones or breaking colors with grey (Source 1).
Tip — Check that the background does not compete with the face but rather supports it through contrast.
Color harmony

finishing

step 05
Add final highlights and details. Use the 'delicate but sure touch' to render the 'pleasing softness' of the features. Blend edges where necessary to avoid harsh lines, but retain some texture to show the materiality of the pastel.
Tip — Avoid over-blending, which can muddy the colors. Preserve the 'brilliancy' of the complexion (Source 1).
Soft blending

varnishing

step 06
Apply a final fixative to protect the work. Note that de La Tour’s pastels were not varnished in the oil painting sense, but modern preservation requires fixative.
Tip — Use a fixative that does not darken the colors significantly.
Preservation

critical techniques

Simultaneous Contrast

De La Tour, like all portrait painters, must account for how adjacent colors affect each other. The 'law of simultaneous contrast' dictates that colors appear different when placed next to their complements. This is crucial for rendering the 'modifications of tone and of colour' accurately (Source 2).

Harmony of Contrast

Using 'broken tones' or greys to mix colors avoids monotony and crudity. This technique helps in distinguishing planes and enhancing the 'brilliancy' of the complexion without relying on pure, intense colors (Source 1).

Direct Pastel Application

De La Tour’s 'delicate but sure touch' suggests a direct application of pastel without extensive underpainting in oil or watercolor. This allows for the 'pleasing softness' and immediate capture of light (Source 4).

common pitfalls

→Using only red and white for skin tones, which is a 'common error' that fails to capture the true 'predominating colour' and 'brilliancy' of the complexion (Source 1).
→Ignoring the 'mixed contrast' effect, where the eye’s tendency to see the complementary of a previously viewed color leads to inaccurate color mixing (Source 2).
→Choosing a background or dress color that does not harmonize with the complexion, resulting in a 'poor effect' (Source 1).
→Over-intensifying colors, leading to 'crudity'; instead, use light tones or break colors with grey (Source 1).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific details of King Louis XV’s attire in the 1748 portrait (e.g., exact fabric patterns, jewelry) are not described in the sources.
·The exact dimensions of the original artwork are not provided.
·De La Tour’s specific preparatory sketches or underdrawing methods for this particular portrait are not documented in the sources.
·The specific brand or type of pastels used by de La Tour in 1748 is not detailed, though general pastel practice is inferred.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

Laws of Contrast of Colour↗
- Chapter V — applied to Color harmony, contrast techniques, and avoiding common errors in skin tone rendering.
The Science of Painting↗
- Colouring Substances — applied to General context of pigment use, though less directly applicable to pastel specifics.

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.