Pair of portraits showing a sculptor, in red jacket, a propelling pencil in his hand, posing in front of a statuette. As a paire, Lady's portrait, playing guitar, both painted circa 1775.

We can recognize in the statue in background, the famous Venus by Jean-Pierre Antoine Tassaert (1727-1788). The work, in the state of sketch ( in terra-cotta on a fabric) and the sketches on paper, indicates clearly a creative process. This statue, major work of the artist, had well been create in Paris before the departure of the couple for the court of Frédéric II, in June, 1775.

We can thus deduct that we have here  a portrait of the famous sculptor and his wife.

Indeed, Jean-Pierre Antoine Tassaert had married in 1758, in Paris, the  painter in miniature Marie-Edmée Moreau (1736-1791). She is referenced as miniaturist in Paris at that time, under the name of  Miss Moreau , activ between 1768 and 1782. She exhibited to the Salon of 1768,1769 and 1770 .The dates would coincide with this pair of miniatures, painted after their marriage (1758) and before the couple leave France for Berlin, in 1775.

The age of  sitters also coincides (48 and 39 years) in 1775.

If this miniature is a portrait of Jean-Pierre Antoine Tassaert, we cannot doubt  he chose his wife to portray them. The high quality of these miniatures justify the presence repeated of this artist to the Salon. 

The miniaturist, in this self-portrait, does not make reference to her art, but holds a guitar. Quite logically, Mrs Tassaert, who kept her maiden name (Miss Moreau) as artist's name, could not represent herself in her art next to her husband, himself in his. Indeed, for the public of time, it had seemed improper to place on an equal footing the sculpture and the miniature. It was thus logical that she fades, by discretion, in front of a so famous husband as Tassaert was.

The work of this miniaturist having completely disappeared, the discovery one day, of a miniature signed by her, will be necessary to confirm this attribution.  Nevertheless, all these indications let no much doubt around this discovery.

Jean-Pierre Antoine Tassaert worked more than 30 years in Paris, member of the Royal Academy, he was the official sculptor of Count de Provence (brother of King Louis XVI). Then he was to Berlin where he becames Director of the Royal Academy of Sculpture, and later the official sculptor of King Frederick the Great.

To read more about Tassaert : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Pierre-Antoine_Tassaert