Nicolas Poussin was a close friend of Duquesnoy, and the leading classicist painter in 17th-century French art, although he spent most of his working life in Rome.

Both Poussin's and Duquesnoy's visions were at odds with the mainstream Baroque style of artists such as Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Pietro da Cortona.

[2] Duquesnoy was a close friend of a number of prominent artists in Rome; among these was Poussin.

[3] Duquesnoy produced a small bust for Poussin, with details carefully worked out.

The stylish rendering of moustache and beard and the composition itself are strongly reminiscent of Duquesnoy's Nano di Créqui and his bust of Cardinal Maurizio of Savoy.