It was only in his later years that Greuze turned to portraiture, probably partly out of necessity as his genre pieces had fallen out of fashion, both as a result of the French Revolution and because of radical changes in taste. In this portrait Greuze has used the traditional format established in the Renaissance where the sitter is shown without elaborate accoutrements or symbols. There is also a self conscious reaction against the elaboration of the portraits of the previous generation in France, especially those of Largillière, (q.v.). The sitter distinguished himself during the American War of Independence and is shown wearing the insignia of the Society of The Cincinnati and that of the Saint-Esprit.

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