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An Extraordinary Pastel Breakfast

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An Extraordinary Pastel Breakfast
"The Lavergne Family Breakfast," 1754, by Jean-Étienne Liotard. Pastel on paper stuck down on canvas; 31 1/2 inches by 41 3/4 inches. From the estate of George Pinto under the acceptance in Lieu scheme. The National Gallery, London
Lorraine Ferrier
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At first glance, everything in the pastel painting “The Lavergne Family Breakfast” seems rather ordinary: A mother and daughter sit at a table eating breakfast. Similar scenes could play out in homes across the country. But look closely and you’ll see that 18th-century Swiss artist Jean-Etienne Liotard has conveyed the resplendent nuances of human nature.
Lauded as Liotard’s masterpiece, “The Lavergne Family Breakfast” was acquired in May by London’s National Gallery. (It had been on loan to the gallery since October 2018, the first time it was shown in public.) The pastel painting has been in Britain since 1755 when it was bought by Liotard’s most important patron, Viscount Duncannon.
Lorraine Ferrier
Lorraine Ferrier
Author
Lorraine Ferrier writes about fine arts and craftsmanship for The Epoch Times. She focuses on artists and artisans, primarily in North America and Europe, who imbue their works with beauty and traditional values. She's especially interested in giving a voice to the rare and lesser-known arts and crafts, in the hope that we can preserve our traditional art heritage. She lives and writes in a London suburb, in England.
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