Artwork
Portrait of Charles Claude de Flahaut de La Billarderie (Comte d'Angiviller)
Portrait of Charles Claude de Flahaut de La Billarderie (Comte d'Angiviller) is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jean-Baptiste Greuze. It dates from 1763 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
Greuze's handling reflects the academic French tradition of the period, with smooth, blended brushwork and careful modeling of the sitter's features.
The portrait is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for mid-eighteenth-century French portraiture. The painting measures 64.1 cm in height by 54 cm in width, a modest, intimate format appropriate for a bust-length likeness. Greuze's handling reflects the academic French tradition of the period, with smooth, blended brushwork and careful modeling of the sitter's features.
Stylistically, the work belongs to the genre of formal portraiture, depicting Charles-Claude Flahaut de la Billarderie in a composed, dignified manner consistent with Greuze's portrait practice of 1763. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds the canvas in its collection, and no specific condition issues are noted in the available records.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Charles Claude de Flahaut de La Billarderie (Comte d’Angiviller) was painted in 1763 by Jean-Baptiste Greuze. The work was commissioned to commemorate the sitter’s role as director-general of the Bâtiments du Roi, a position he held under Louis XV. By 1970, the painting entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it remains as part of the museum’s holdings.
Jean-Baptiste Greuze's 1763 oil-on-canvas portrait of Charles Claude de Flahaut de La Billarderie is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the work is cataloged as a painting depicting the Comte d'Angiviller. The piece measures 64.1 by 54 centimeters and dates to the inception year of 1763.
The provided sources confirm the artwork's current location and physical attributes but do not contain details regarding its exhibition history or previous ownership records.
Overview
Jean-Baptiste Greuze completed this oil portrait of Charles Claude de Flahaut de La Billarderie, the Comte d'Angiviller, in 1763. The painting exemplifies the Rococo aesthetic prevalent in France during the mid-18th century. Greuze, recognized for his diverse output including genre scenes and history paintings, here captures a prominent figure of his era. This work is now part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait presents the Comte d'Angiviller in an elegant pink coat, adorned with intricate gold embroidery and delicate lace, complemented by a precisely tied white cravat. His demeanor appears composed and reflective, conveying a sense of quiet authority. Greuze's depiction emphasizes the sitter's distinguished status through both his refined attire and his thoughtful expression, characteristic of formal portraiture of the period.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Baptiste Greuze (French pronunciation: 21 August 1725 – 4 March 1805) was a French painter of portraits, genre scenes, and history painting.
