Born in Nancy, Lorraine, Joseph Ducreux established himself as a prominent portrait painter and pastelist during the 18th century. He gained significant professional standing at the court of Louis XVI, eventually earning the title of premier peintre de la reine. His career took him across Europe, including periods of work in Austria and England, before he returned to Paris during the French Revolution.

Ducreux is distinguished by his departure from the rigid formality typical of court portraiture. He frequently utilized self-portraiture to explore a wide range of human emotion, employing exaggerated expressions and dynamic gestures that challenged the conventions of his era. His technical proficiency extended to etching and pastel, mediums he used to document both the aristocracy and his own psychological states.