This mid-18th-century French oil painting depicts a bourgeois gentleman wearing a pale grey-blue coat with a white waistcoat and a prominent lace jabot. He''s reserved, comfortable, and carries the air of a professional contributor to his social milieu. He addresses us directly, turned slightly to the left, with a sense of ease to his pose. His coat has small covered buttons while the jabot spills down the chest in crisp, rhythmical folds. There''s a warmth to the cheeks and the hint of a knowing smile. The eyes are particularly well done, with careful observation of the slightly heavy lids. Here''s a man who reads with intent. In France at the time, this was pre-Revolution, under Louis XV, moving into the reign of Louis XVI. It was the age of the Enlightenment - Voltaire, Diderot, Rousseau. Bourgeois self-awareness was rising and, as such, portraiture began to move away from aristocratic bravura toward something quieter. The artist is unknown, yet given the handling of the...