Portrait de Paul-Guillaume Lemoine, dit le Romain (1755-?), architecte

Painted in 1772 and held by the Musée Carnavalet in Paris — the museum dedicated to the history of the city — this portrait of architect Paul-Guillaume Lemoine, known as le Romain, depicts a practitioner of the other great classical design discipline alongside painting. Lemoine's sobriquet suggests a Roman formation, possibly from travel or study in Rome. Suvée's 1772 date is early in his Parisian career, and this portrait of an architect reflects the professional interconnections of the Paris arts world where painters, sculptors, and architects moved in common social and institutional circles. The Carnavalet's collection emphasizes Parisian cultural history, and this portrait contributes to the museum's documentation of the intellectual and artistic professions active in late Ancien Régime Paris.

The portrait of a fellow professional in a design discipline may include architectural references — rolled plans, a compass, or books — as attributes. Suvée uses his characteristic clear side lighting and three-quarter format, with careful attention to the sitter's intellectual physiognomy.