3-035-532 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Portrait of the Sculptor Roland, 1797. Additional Info: Painted in 1797, this half-length portrait depicts the 51-year-old French sculptor Philippe-Laurent Roland (1746-1816), an exact contemporary and longtime friend of the artist, François-André Vincent. Roland is shown from the side with his arm resting casually on the back of his chair and in his hand, he lightly grips an ebauchoir, a tool for working plaster sculpture. His well-worn jacket, waistcoat, and loose shirt with pleated frill, accessorized with the ebauchoir, subtly suggest his profession. Roland seems to look back at us confidently, but also as if he were in the middle of a conversation, his mouth slightly parted to reply. Roland’s eye contact and bemused facial expression suggests familiarity like he would have felt with his friend while he was being painted.