At the age of twenty-three, after garnering a few commissions in London, Maurice Quentin de la Tour set himself up as a portraitist in Paris. A native of Picardy, in 1727, he cannily proclaimed himself an English painter. Pastel portraiture was all the rage, and de la Tour prudently devoted himself entirely to pastels. He was summoned by Louis XV to Versailles, and along with other prominent painters of the day, was soon awarded quarters in the Louvre, which then served as a royally endowed artists' colony. In 1750, Louis named him official court painter. It was an age of spectacular superficiality, and he portrayed his clients as they wished to see themselves, without ignoring their unreal smiles and bored, ma...