Nicolas de Largillière

Self-portrait with family

Nicolas de Largillière (* 20th October 1656 in Paris ; † 20th March 1746 ) was a French painter of the Rococo . Alongside Hyacinthe Rigaud, he is considered the first portraitist of his time in France .

Life

He spent his apprenticeship in the Netherlands and England . In the Netherlands he got to know the work of Rubens and van Dyck , which had a lasting influence on him. In England he worked as an assistant to Peter Lely .

Largillierre learned in Antwerp from 1668 under Alexander Goubau and joined the Guild of St. Luke in 1673 or 1674 . Then he went to London, where he stayed for four years until the persecution of the Catholics drove him out. He turned to Paris and only left this place for a short time when he was called to England by James II of England on his accession to the throne to paint him and the Queen. In 1705 he became professor, 1738 director, 1743 chancellor of the Paris Academy. He died in Paris on March 20, 1746.

Largillierre left behind numerous portraits , mostly of private individuals, which are characterized by a lively, admittedly here and there also mannered conception, flourishing coloring and ingenious treatment.

Works (selection)

Largillierre mainly dealt with portraits , history pictures and still lifes . He almost exclusively portrayed members of the court and the aristocratic bourgeoisie.

Portrait of an official , 1718, canvas, 82 × 64 cm
Portrait of a stranger , 1710, canvas, 126 × 98 cm
Mayor Boucher d'Orsay , around 1704, canvas, 138 × 106 cm
The goldsmith Thomas Germain and his wife , 1736, canvas, 145 × 112 cm
The painter with his wife and daughter , around 1715, canvas, 149 × 200 cm
Duc de Biron , 1714, canvas, 140 × 105 cm
Erik Graf Sparre , 1713, canvas, 90 × 72 cm
François Jules du Vaucel , 1724, canvas, 138 × 105 cm

Portrait of the Marquise de Gueydan as Flora
Portrait of Louis XIV and his heirs
Portrait of Charles Lebrun (1686), Louvre
Friedrich August Graf Rutowski (approx. 1729)
The beautiful woman from Strasbourg

literature

Nicolas de Largillière . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General lexicon of fine artists from antiquity to the present . Founded by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker . tape 22 : Krügner – Leitch . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1928, p. 382-383 .

Web links

Commons : Nicolas de Largillière - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Works by Nicolas de Largillière at Zeno.org .
The beautiful woman from Strasbourg
Self portrait
Unknown young man

personal data
SURNAME	Largillière, Nicolas de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Largillière, Nicolas de (Thieme-Becker); Largillière, Nicolas de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	French Rococo painter
DATE OF BIRTH	October 20, 1656
PLACE OF BIRTH	Paris
DATE OF DEATH	March 20, 1746
Place of death	Paris