He was born (and died) in Paris; he trained in Antwerp and from about 1674 was for some years an assistant to Peter Lely in England. He became a member of the French Academy in 1686 and was later Director; he is recorded as an early admirer of Chardin. He specialised in portraits, mostly of the professional classes.
Nicolas de Largillierre
1656 - 1746
Paintings by Nicolas de Largillierre
An opulently dressed man with glossy clean-shaven skin and clear blue eyes gazes directly at us with a slight smile on his lips. He wears a rose-gold coloured jacket with exotic gold tassels, covered with a gorgeous teal silk-velvet cloak lined with embroidered gold silk damask. His soft velvet c...
Not on display
Nicolas de Largillierre and Studio
As distasteful as we find it today, it was not uncommon in the eighteenth century for sitters to choose to be portrayed alongside a Black page as a sign of their wealth and status. This boy, with his lustrous earring and suit of embroidered velvet, is treated like the woman’s pearl-encrusted clot...
Not on display