For many years, Perronneau worked in the shadow of Maurice Quentin de La Tour, but in the 1750s he was elected to the Academy and commissions began to flow in. As a pastellist, Perronneau developed a personal technique, often sketchy, as if the portraits were unfinished, and with something of a monochrome feel. Over the years this became a mannerism, but in this portrait of an unknown gentleman he demonstrates a keen psychological eye.