JEAN-BAPTISTE WEYLER (FRENCH, 1747-1791)

Benjamin Franklin was sent to France as a deputy of Pennsylvania to seek support in America's struggle against British rule. On signing the peace treaty recognising the independence of the United States of America, Franklin's image became popular in France and enamel portraits of him were created by Weyler as part of a 'panthéon iconographique'. This pantheon, commissioned by the Comte d'Angiviller, was intended to record for posterity the most famous and influential figures of the day but the outbreak of the French Revolution brought the project to an end. For further information about portraits of Franklin by Weyler, see S. Coffin and B. Hofstetter, op. cit., London, 2000, pp. 111-112.