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Secondary sourcePainting1768

Portrait of Montesquieu, Print by Grateloup (1768)

Jean-Baptiste de Grateloup, after a painting by Jacques-Antoine Dassier · 1768

A 1768 engraved portrait of Montesquieu made after his death, based on an earlier painting.

This posthumous engraving depicts Montesquieu, showing how he was remembered after his death.

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Engraved profile portrait in an oval frame of an older man facing left, with a receding hairline, curly hair, and a prominent nose. The oval sits on a background with faint handwritten script. The name MONTESQUIEU is engraved in capitals below, with small signature text in the lower corners.
Jean-Baptiste de Grateloup, after Jacques-Antoine Dassier, Portrait of Montesquieu, 1768. Rijksmuseum.

About this source

What it is

This engraving of Montesquieu was made in 1768 by Jean-Baptiste de Grateloup, based on a painting by Jacques-Antoine Dassier. It shows Montesquieu in profile within an oval frame and is now held by the Rijksmuseum.

Why it matters

Made thirteen years after Montesquieu's death, this print shows how he continued to be remembered and depicted by artists and printmakers after his lifetime. Grateloup used a special technique similar to aquatint for this image.

Look closer

  • Why might artists continue making portraits of a famous person years after their death?
  • How does working from an earlier painting rather than from life affect how accurate or idealized a portrait might be?
  • What details in the image, like the clothing or expression, might the artist have chosen to emphasize?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Baron de Montesquieu on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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