The Merchant-Artist of Orléans Aignan-Thomas Desfriches was a man of dual identities, operating at the intersection of commerce and fine art in eighteenth-century France. While history often separates the trader from the creator, Desfriches occupied both spheres with equal intensity. He was a wealthy merchant involved in the trade of sugar, spices, textiles, and likely slaves, yet his legacy is anchored in the visual culture of Orléan…