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Leaving his poverty-stricken home at the age of 15, La Tour first entered the workshop of an etcher in Paris, then worked in the studio of the painter Jacques-Jean Spoede. With a letter of recommendation from an English ambassador he went to England where he was much impressed by van Dyck's art of portrayal. On his return to Paris he took up pastel painting, possibly inspired by Rosalba Camera's success in Paris in 1720/21. After some experiments he soon came to excel at pastel portraits, surpassing all his rivals, even Peronneau, and gaining great favour at court. La Tour was most demanding in his art so that the execution of a work was often slow, and it was nine years before he produced a work which would admit him to the Academy. His Portrait of Mme de Pompadour of 1755 (Paris, Louvre) and of the President de Rieux in his Study (Paris, Louvre) represent two of the few full-length pastel portraits in existence. His portraits show a vigourous handling and a perceptive grasp of character.
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