Portrait of the Comte d'Angiviller
by DUPLESSIS, Joseph-Siffred, Oil on canvas, 144 x 106 cm
In 1775, a former soldier and personal friend of the king, Charles-Claude de Flahaut de la Billaderie, the Comte d’Angiviller, was made the Directeur des Batiments du Roi (Director of the King’s Buildings) - a kind of minister of fine arts. Through him more money was made available to commission paintings that were patriotic and didactic.