Jean-Francois de Neufforge (Belgium, 1714-1791)                           

Medium: Red Chalk on laid paper

Year: c1774

Catalog Reference: Churchill 433: c1724

Jean-Francois de Neufforge’s drawings–particularly of women--represent both similar and different style than the contemporaries of influence. Similar to Woman with Pearls in her Hair, Neufforge’s Woman with Pearl Necklace shows the stylistic manner in which the artist draws on his influence from master draftsmen but utilizes the red crayon noir engraving technique used to reproduce his works. It is very likely that this illustration was a model for the reproduction technique in order for Neufforge to create his engravings. 

According to biographical encyclopedias, Benezit and Thieme-Becker’s, Jean-Fancois de Neufforge was born in Comblain-au-Point, Belgium in 1714 and passed away in Paris on December 19, 1791. As an architect and sculptor, Neufforge established residence in Paris around 1738 (the Grove Dictionary of Art, 2000). He studied architecture with Jacques-Francois Blondel and engraving with Pierre Edmé Babel. Although Neufforge worked primarily in the Rocco style, he was interested in classical sculpture, fully aware of his contemporaries, predominantly Fancois Boucher (1703-1770).