André François Alloys de Theys d'Herculais (1692–1779)
This grand military portrait is a veritable catalogue of Largillierre’s exceptional skill in depicting diverse textures and materials: fur, feathers, velvet, metal, fallen powder, and deflated leather gloves. The armor appears in other portraits by Largillierre and may have been an artist’s prop. The sitter was involved in battles against Spain between 1718 and 1720 and the distant, medieval architecture is probably a fanciful allusion to that country. By the 1730s, a number of artists had developed an exoticized, picaresque vision of Spain based largely on the tale of Don Quixote.
Artwork Details
- Title: André François Alloys de Theys d'Herculais (1692–1779)
- Artist: Nicolas de Largillierre (or Largillière) (French, Paris 1656–1746 Paris)
- Date: 1727
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 54 1/4 x 41 1/2 in. (137.8 x 105.4 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 1973
- Object Number: 1973.311.4
- Curatorial Department: European Paintings
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