The present sheet is the only known drawing by Bertaut, Bishop of Séez. He was a friend of Ronsard and Desportes at the court of King Henry III; and is best known for his poetry. His friend and fellow poet Riquer, the sitter for the present drawing, celebrated Bertaut's skills as a painter in his Elégie á M. de Bertaut. Manuscripts preserved at Séez testify to his skills as a draughtsman: 'Bertaut avait du talent pour le pastel', G. Grente, Jean Bertault, abbé d'Aunay, premier aumônier de la Reine, évêque de Séez (1552-1611), Paris, 1903, pp. 188-9. The present drawing is similar to portrait drawings by Quesnel and Dumonstier