Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1743) and Atelier- Portrait of Louis XIV

Canvas re-lined 91 cm by 72 cm
Superb old frame 115 cm by 96 cm

Sumptuous portrait from the end of the 17th century. Note in particular the quality of the face of this version. Louis XIV at the age of 56 on this famous portrait which was taken up by the artists of the workshop (and which artists: Ranc, Nattier, Tournières, Le Gros, Blain de Fontenay, Desportes...).

Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1743)

Hyacinthe Rigaud, born in Perpignan on July 18, 1659 and died in Paris on December 29, 1743, was a French painter, specializing in portraiture. Born in the former province of Catalonia (his real name was Jacint Rigau-Ros i Serra in Catalan), he spent most of his career in Paris. Noticed by Louis XIV whom he painted in a now famous portrait, Hyacinthe Rigaud became very courted by all the nobility of France and Europe, while keeping a very loyal regional and local clientele. The young Hyacinthe Rigaud perfected his skills with Antoine Ranc (in the company of Jean Ranc, son of Antoine) in Montpellier in 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 later collected. Arrived in Paris in 1681, he won the Prix de Rome in 1682, but did not travel to Rome, on the advice of Charles Le Brun. Received at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1700, he climbed all the levels 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 for the glory of Louis XIV and he participates in this influence of a reign whose majesty he fixed. “Real “photographs”, faces that Diderot described as “letters of recommendation written in a language common to all men”. Rigaud's paintings now 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 rich in great names in painting, including Jean Ranc, Marc Nattier, Jean le Gros, Robert de Tournière…and many others (more than thirty throughout the period).