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In 1750, the painter Louis Tocqué gave the only speech entirely devoted to the theory of portraiture at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture in Paris. The portraitist put forward a number of recommendations for future artists, while also discussing the importance of his specialty at a time when it was being criticized by several Salonniers. It also sheds light on Tocqué’s pictorial practice, whose work remains largely unknown. The study of his discourse provides an opportunity to question the links between theory and practice, as well as the critical reception of the academician. Ultimately, this analysis provides a better understanding of portraiture and its theory in the mid-18th century, at a time when it is experiencing new aesthetics.