Self-portrait with frill, circa 1750

La Tour's self-portrait with frill of circa 1750, now in the Musée de Picardie in Amiens, depicts the artist at approximately forty years of age at the apex of his career and social celebrity. The self-portrait as a genre occupied a special place in La Tour's output — he produced numerous self-images throughout his life, using them to experiment with expression, character, and the limits of the pastel medium. The frill — a decorative lace collar or jabot — appears in several of his self-portraits as a recurring personal marker. By 1750 La Tour was the most celebrated portraitist in France, recently received into the Académie royale and working for the king and the most powerful figures at court. The Amiens museum's holding of this work reflects La Tour's regional connection: his birthplace Saint-Quentin is in Picardy, and both the Musée de Picardie and the Musée Antoine-Lécuyer in Saint-Quentin hold concentrations of his work.

Pastel on paper in La Tour's mature manner, with characteristic dense layering and rich surface. The self-portrait format allowed him to experiment freely with expression and handling, and the result has a freshness and directness that distinguished self-studies from commissioned portraits. The frill at the neck provides a delicate textural counterpoint to the face.