A Life Dedicated to Portraiture: Jean Voille (1744–1829) Jean-Louis Voille, born in Paris in 1744, emerged as a significant figure in the world of eighteenth and early nineteenth-century portraiture. His journey, though initially unconventional, led him to become a favored artist among the Russian nobility, capturing their likenesses with an elegance and detail that defined an era. Raised within a family of jewelers, Voille’s artistic inclinations were nurtured through formal training at the Académie Royale under the guidance of François-Hubert Drouais, a master known for his refined portrai…