ATRIBUIDO A HYACINTHE RIGAUD (Perpignan, 1659... Lot n° 32

Interesting portrait made by an artist during the reign of Louis XIV (1638-1715). It presents the characteristic oval format in which the painter formulates a type of composition inspired by the Venetian portraits of the Cinquecento. The character is shown in profile, although he turns his head slightly to the left to look at us from the front. In this way, the painter can recreate himself in showing us his ability to describe the crimson velvet textures of the large mantle covering the bust and chest of the portrait, which seem to leave the frame of the painting itself like a trompe l'oeil. The painter has also focused part of his attention on the profoundly realistic description of the face of the effigy. We do not know the identity of the person represented, who may well have been an important figure at the Court of Versailles, which would explain the closeness of this painting to the modes and manners of Rigaud. The impeccable treatment of the pictorial surfaces, his precision in the drawing and the strong realism that he imprints on the face, is perfectly ascribed to the way of doing of this painter of Catalan origin. This is an excellent portrait that bears great similarities to the Portrait of the Marquis of Goussanville (Private Collection, Paris, France) by the French master.81 x 65 cmOil on canvas