Artwork
Portrait of a Man

Portrait of a Man is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Rigaud Hyacinthe. It dates from 1697 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting titled Portrait of a Man, created by Hyacinthe Rigaud in 1697, portrays an unnamed sitter rendered in oil on canvas.
The painting titled Portrait of a Man, created by Hyacinthe Rigaud in 1697, portrays an unnamed sitter rendered in oil on canvas. As a Baroque portrait, it emphasizes the sitter's dignified presence through formal pose and rich drapery, reflecting contemporary ideals of status and authority. The work's iconography consists solely of the figure himself, a conventional subject in elite portraiture that conveys power and personal identity rather than narrative symbolism. The painting is held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1697, this Baroque portrait by Hyacinthe Rigaud utilizes oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 82.6 cm in height and 65.4 cm in width, presenting a formal depiction of a male subject. The combination of oil and canvas reflects the standard materials for portraiture of this period, resulting in a composition that adheres to the stylistic conventions of late seventeenth-century French Baroque art.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Portrait of a Man was created in 1697 by the French artist Hyacinthe Rigaud. Executed in oil on canvas, the work measures 82.6 by 65.4 centimetres and is classified as a Baroque portrait. Specific details regarding the original commission or the identity of the sitter are not provided in the available records.
The piece currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. No intermediate ownership history or prior exhibition records are detailed in the current sources.
Overview
This oil painting, titled Portrait of a Man, was created by the Catalan-French artist Hyacinthe Rigaud in 1697. Rigaud, a prominent painter of the Baroque era, was particularly recognized for his depictions of French aristocracy. The artwork features an unidentified male sitter and is presently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jacint Rigau-Ros i Serra (Catalan pronunciation:; 18 July 1659 – 29 December 1743), known in French as Hyacinthe Rigaud (pronounced ), was a Catalan-French baroque painter most famous for his portraits of Louis XIV and other members of the…


















