Nicolas de Largillière

1656-1746

Nicolas de Largillière (baptised 1656 – 1746) was a French portraitist and draughtsman who became one of the most sought-after painters of the Parisian elite under Louis XIV and the Regency. Raised partly in Antwerp, he trained with the Flemish painter Anton Goubau before spending several years in England, working alongside Peter Lely and Antonio Verrio and painting members of the Stuart court. Back in Paris by the mid-1680s, he was admitted to the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture in 1686 on the strength of a portrait of Charles Le Brun, and went on to paint statesmen, artists and royalty, including the celebrated group portrait of the family of Louis XIV, Augustus II of Poland, and Voltaire. Working in a rich, fluid Baroque manner with close attention to fabric, light and gesture, he also produced landscapes and still lifes. He held senior posts at the Académie in his later years, serving in rotation as director and later as chancellor. Museums including the Louvre, the Hermitage, the Prado and the Honolulu Museum of Art hold examples of his work.