Roslin painted the portrait of ironmaster John Jennings from Forsmarks Bruk when the latter visited Paris in 1769 with his brother Frans Jennings and his sister-in-law Jeanne Élise Trembely. The painting shows off the artist’s skill in depicting silk and velvet. Still, the art critic Denis Diderot found it lacking in truth when he saw it that year at the Salon: “The woman plays the clavecin without hearing or being heard.”