Portrait of a Man
Artist
Hyacinthe Rigaud
(French, 1659-1743)
CultureFrench
Date1696
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions53 1/4 x 41 1/4 in. (135.3 x 104.8 cm)
Overall, Frame: 73 x 61 in. (185.4 x 154.9 cm)
Overall, Frame: 73 x 61 in. (185.4 x 154.9 cm)
InscribedSigned and dated lower left: "fait par hyacinthe Rigaud. 1696"
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number77.409
Not on view
DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas portrait of a man wearing a black robe, seated in a red chair, and shown in three quarter-length. His right hand rests on a ornate marble-top table, and his left hand holds the top edge of a large book in his lap.Label TextHyacinthe Rigaud French (1659 1743) Portrait of a Man, 1696 Oil on canvas With the completion of his portrait of King Louis XIV in 1701, Hyacinthe Rigaud became the mostb prominent portraitist of the French upper classes during the first half of the 18th century. He was besieged with portrait commissions from French aristocrats, high ranking churchmen, and wealthy Parisian professionals. In 1727 he was ennobled by Louis XV, and in 1733 he was named director of France's Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. The Chrysler's portrait conveys the ceremony and grandeur that were the hallmarks of Rigaud's art. Though the sitter's identity is not yet known, his formal pose, official black robes, and the large book he balances upon his lap suggest he was a man of position and learning a lawyer, perhaps, or a member of the Paris Parliament. The damask covered chair he sits in, the elaborately carved gilt wood table, and even the book he holds were all studio props, repeatedly used by Rigaud to speed his portrait production. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 77.409 ProvenanceWalter P. Chrysler, Jr.; Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. to the Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, 1977. Exhibition History"French Paintings from the Chrysler Museum," North Carolina Museum of Art, May 31 - Sept. 14, 1986; Birmingham Museum of Art, Nov. 6, 1986 - Jan. 18, 1987. (Exhib. cat. no. 6). "Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. Published ReferencesJefferson C. Harrison, Jr. _French Paintings from the Chrysler Museum_, exhibition catalogue, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, and Birmingham Museum of Art, 1986-87, no. 6. Jefferson C. Harrison. _The Chrysler Museum Handbook of the European and American Collections: Selected Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings_. The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, 1991, p. 54, #41. Ariane James-Sarazin. _Hyacinthe Rigaud 1659 - 1743: The Catalog Raisonné_. Vol. 1 & 2.Published November 2016, p. 162.
ca. 1615
