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André François Alloys de Theys d'Herculais (1692–1779)

1727
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 629
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

Object Information
  • 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

More Artwork

More Artwork
Portrait of a Woman and an Enslaved Servant, Nicolas de Largillierre (or Largillière) French, Oil on canvas
Portrait of a Woman and an Enslaved Servant
Nicolas de Largillierre (or Largillière)
1696
Guitar, Jean-Baptiste Voboam French, Spruce, tortoiseshell, mother-of-pearl, ivory, ebony, French
Guitar
attributed to Jean-Baptiste Voboam
1697
Merry Company on a Terrace, Jan Steen Dutch, Oil on canvas
Merry Company on a Terrace
Jan Steen
ca. 1670
Mezzetin, Antoine Watteau French, Oil on canvas
Mezzetin
Antoine Watteau
ca. 1718–20
Two Nude Male Figures Struggling Together, Nicolas de Largillierre (or Largillière) French, Charcoal, stumped, black and white chalk on brownish paper
Two Nude Male Figures Struggling Together
Nicolas de Largillierre (or Largillière)
1709–10

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