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Portrait of the French Writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau

R. Vinkeles, after Maurice Quentin de La Tour · 1764

A 1764 engraved portrait of Rousseau made during his lifetime, after a painting by La Tour.

A lifetime engraving of Rousseau, part of a widely copied image that carried his self-chosen motto.

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Engraved portrait print of a man with tousled hair and a fur-collared coat, seated and smiling slightly, framed by a stone-block border. A plinth below bears the Latin inscription 'VITAM IMPENDERE VERO'. Signed lower left 'De la Tour Pinx' and lower right 'R. Vinkeles Sc. 1764'.
R. Vinkeles after Maurice Quentin de La Tour, Portret van de Franse schrijver Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1764. Rijksmuseum, Netherlands.

About this source

What it is

This is an engraved portrait print of Jean-Jacques Rousseau dated 1764, made by R. Vinkeles after a painting by Maurice Quentin de La Tour. It is held by the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands.

Why it matters

Made while Rousseau was alive, this print is part of a group of images based on La Tour's famous portrait that circulated widely in Europe. The Latin inscription 'Vitam Impendere Vero' reflects the motto Rousseau associated with himself, dedicating his life to truth.

Look closer

  • Why do you think the same La Tour portrait was copied by several different engravers?
  • What does the inscription tell us about how Rousseau wanted to be understood?
  • How does the formal, seated pose compare to how we imagine 'a philosopher' today?

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

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Title page of Du Contrat Social ou Principes du Droit Politique by J. J. Rousseau, citoyen de Genève, printed at Amsterdam by Marc Michel Rey, MDCCLXII. Below the text is an engraved allegorical figure of a woman holding scales and a staff, flanked by trees, with Latin mottos above her. A handwritten inscription appears at top right.Book

Primary source

The Social Contract

Jean-Jacques Rousseau · 1762

Sepia-toned mezzotint print of a man in a tall fur hat and fur-collared coat, with his hand raised to his chest, set on a page of a bound book. Caption below reads Jean Jacques Rousseau, Vitam Impendere Vero, after Ramsay, published by David Martin.Painting

Primary source

Portrait of Jean Jacques Rousseau

David Martin · 1766

Open book spread showing the title page of Rousseau's Discours sur l'origine et les fondemens de l'inégalité parmi les hommes, Amsterdam, 1755, with red and black printed text and a engraved vignette of a seated woman. On the left page is an engraved plate of men in a landscape with a figure pointing.Book

Primary source

Discourse on Inequality

Jean-Jacques Rousseau · 1754 (published 1755)

Black and white line engraving of an oval portrait of a man with curled powdered hair, white cravat, and dark coat, seated and smiling slightly, set within an ornate framed border with laurel leaves, ribbons, a book inscribed with a title, and a lamp. Caption at bottom reads 'Publish'd 1st of April 1780 By Fielding & Walker Pater Noster Row'.Painting

Secondary source

Engraving of Rousseau after La Tour's Portrait

E. Ficquet, after Maurice Quentin de La Tour · 1780

Title page of the 1762 first edition of Emile, ou de l'éducation by J. J. Rousseau, citoyen de Genève. Red and black print; A La Haye, chez Jean Néaulme, Libraire; Tome Premier; MDCCLXII.Book

Primary source

Emile, or On Education

Jean-Jacques Rousseau · 1762

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