Portrait of Joseph Vernet

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun painted the Portrait of Joseph Vernet in 1778, depicting her fellow painter with palette and brush in hand. The oil on canvas measures 72 x 92 cm and was one of her earliest portraits, showing an artist who had supported her career. Vernet appears as a working painter, ready to apply paint to canvas.

Joseph Vernet (1714-1789) was famous for his marine paintings, particularly his "Views of the Ports of France" series commissioned by the Marquis de Marigny. He spent twelve years completing fifteen large paintings showing French harbors for the King. His son Carle and grandson Horace both became noted painters, creating a dynasty of French artists.

Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) would become one of the most accomplished female painters of the 18th century, best known as Marie Antoinette's official portraitist. This early work shows her developing the elegant Rococo style that defined her career. The Louvre acquired the painting in 1817.