The Hand of the Draughtsman In the mid-nineteenth century, the art of the portrait relied heavily upon the precision of the line and the ability of a draftsman to capture the very essence of a man's station. Modeste Leclercq moved through this era with a skill that bridged the gap between a private drawing and a public likeness. His work was not merely about the likeness of a face, but about the dignity of the subject, a quality that made his drawings highly sought after for reproduction. The life of Leclercq is most clearly seen through the lens of his technical mastery. He possessed a way o…