1718 — 1781

Nationality: Switzerland

Jakob Emanuel Handmann was an eighteenth-century Swiss painter and a leading Enlightenment portraitist in Bern. He developed an elegant, measured manner—shaped by stays in Paris and Rome—that combines precise drawing, soft modelling and a clear palette. His works—whether likenesses of scholars, Bernese patricians or female sitters—are distinguished by meticulous resemblance, delicate fabrics and refined light.