Portrait of a Man in a Purple Robe

Together with Hyacinthe Rigaud, Largilli�re was the most sought-after French portrait painter of the early 18th century, giving the aristocratic formal portrait developed by Rigaud a sober, more realistic aspect, complementing the magnificent poses and incidental detail with a lifelike rendering of the face.

In this portrait of an unidentified sitter in a somewhat extended head-and-shoulders view, the subject looks out, calm and self-assured, his noble features framed by the luxuriant full-bottomed wig and loosely-draped purple robe.