Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1743) and her workshop. Portrait of the young Louis

Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1743) and her workshop. Portrait of the young Louis XV

This superb painting is an oval replica of the paintings painted around 1715/1717 that can be admired at the Ingres Museum in Montauban and at the Pitti Palace in Florence (see photos from the blog of Mr. Stephan Perreau, whom I thank) On a neutral background , the young king wears his armor, his face turned to the right. Her fleurdelysé coat lined with ermine is thrown over her shoulders. A sumptuous precious stone brooch serves as a staple.

Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1743)

Hyacinthe Rigaud, born in Perpignan on July 18, 1659 and died in Paris on December 29, 1743, is a French painter, specializing in portraits. Born in the old province of Catalonia (his real name in Catalan was Jacint Rigau-Ros i Serra), he spent the majority of his career in Paris. Noticed by Louis The young Hyacinthe Rigaud perfected his skills with Antoine Ranc (together with Jean Ranc, Antoine's son) in Montpellier in the years 1671, before moving to Lyon four years later. It was in these two cities that he became familiar with Flemish, Dutch and Italian painting, that of Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt and Titian, whose works he would later collect. Arriving in Paris in 1681, he won the Prix de Rome in 1682, but did not make the trip to Rome, on the advice of Charles Le Brun. Received into the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1700, he rose through the ranks of this institution until his resignation in 1735. According to the French art writer Louis Hourticq, “Rigaud, in dying, leaves a gallery great characters with whom our imagination now populates the Hall of Mirrors; Rigaud is necessary to the glory of Louis XIV and he participates in this influence of a reign whose majesty he established. Rigaud's paintings today populate the greatest museums in the world. His work is considerable, more than 1500 known to date. The artist was able to count on a workshop full of great names in painting including Jean Ranc, Marc Nattier, Jean le Gros, Robert de Tournière...and many others (more than thirty during the entire period).