Joseph Siffred Duplessis - Master of 18thC French Portraiture, Famé for Realistic Depictions of Aristocracy & Iconic Portraits Like Benjamin Franklin Joseph-Siffred Duplessis (1725–1802) stands as a cornerstone in the annals of 18th-century French art, specifically within the realm of portraiture. Unlike many artists of his time born into established artistic lineages, Duplessis emerged from a family where creativity possessed a quiet tenacity; his father, a surgeon, nurtured an ardent fascination with painting—a passion that instilled in young Joseph the foundational principles of meticulou…