Carmontelle (Louis Carrogis, dit) (1717-1806) Pierre-Victor-Joseph de Brünstatt, Baron de Besenval. Circa 1759-1761. Etching. 189x280mm. Baudicour 2; Gruyer 122. Very fine proof on laid paper watermarked "Auvergne 1742", very slightly oxidized. A few spots of rust. All margins untrimmed. Very rare. The original drawing of the model in the costume of a lieutenant-colonel of the Swiss Guards is kept at the Chantilly museum. Pierre-Victor-Joseph de Brünstatt, baron de Besenval (1721-1791), was a Swiss officer in the service of France. Born into a noble family from Solothurn, he distinguished himself in the French army, becoming maréchal de camp. Close to the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, he was involved in political and gallant intrigues. Arrested in 1789 during the French Revolution, he was lynched by the mob on July 14, 1791. Carmontelle, a versatile artist (playwright, draughtsman, portrait painter) who was highly regarded in 18th-century aristocratic and intellectual circles, was a frequent visitor to the salon of Baron de Besenval, where personalities from the worlds of art, politics and high society gathered. He produced several silhouetted portraits of Besenval, testifying to their closeness. Of the six etchings he produced, five are portraits.