Portrait of Alexander Roslin - Bernard Antoine Nicollet

A formal profile portrait engraving of the Swedish painter Alexander Roslin, executed by Bernard Antoine Nicollet in 1774.

This portrait depicts the Swedish painter Alexander Roslin in profile, captured with the technical precision characteristic of eighteenth-century French printmaking. The work is an engraving by Bernard Antoine Nicollet, based on a drawing by Charles-Nicolas Cochin. The subject is presented within a circular frame, a format common in the period for commemorative portraiture. Above the medallion, a decorative bow adds a touch of formality to the composition.

Nicollet employs a variety of hatching techniques to define the contours of the face and the texture of the subject's wig. The background within the medallion is rendered with a dark, dense cross-hatching, which pushes the profile forward and creates a clear sense of volume. Below the portrait, the inscription identifies the sitter as 'A. Roslin, Peintre du Roy, Chevalier de l'Ordre de Vasa', noting his status as a painter to the King and a knight of the Order of Vasa.

The collaboration between Cochin and Nicollet reflects the professional networks of the era, where draughtsmen and engravers worked in tandem to disseminate the likenesses of notable figures. The print demonstrates the high level of control required in copperplate engraving, particularly in the rendering of the fabric and the subtle modelling of the facial features. The overall presentation is restrained and formal, typical of the academic style prevalent in Paris during the 1770s. This print serves as a record of the appearance of a significant artist of the Swedish school, who spent much of his career in France. The clean lines and balanced composition make it a representative example of the portrait engraving tradition of the late Enlightenment.