Artwork
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux is an oil painting. It dates from 1704 and is held in the collection of the Palace of Versailles. The oil painting presents a solitary figure seated at a desk, absorbed in the act of writing.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
These visual elements function as iconographic symbols of his literary profession and intellectual status, representing him specifically as a man of letters.
This 1704 oil painting portrays the French poet and critic Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (1636–1711) in a seated position. The subject is depicted wearing a wig and an overcoat while engaged in the act of writing, with a book present as a key attribute. These visual elements function as iconographic symbols of his literary profession and intellectual status, representing him specifically as a man of letters.
The work serves as a formal portrait capturing the likeness and scholarly identity of the sitter during the early 18th century.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on canvas and measures 116 cm in height by 87 cm in width.
The composition depicts Boileau seated, wearing a wig and overcoat, holding a book and engaged in writing. The handling is consistent with Rigaud’s court portraiture, emphasizing a controlled, smooth finish with meticulous rendering of the sitter’s features and costume. The palette is subdued, with careful modeling of form through subtle transitions of tone rather than pronounced impasto.
The work is inventoried as MV 4276 at the Palace of Versailles, where it is held in the collections of the Museum of the History of France.
History & Provenance
This portrait of Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux was painted in 1704 by Hyacinthe Rigaud. The oil-on-canvas work is held by the Museum of the History of France at the Palace of Versailles, where it is catalogued under multiple inventory numbers: MV 4276, INV 7507, and LP 4289. The painting measures 116.0 by 87.0 cm and depicts the seated poet in a wig and overcoat, with a book and writing implements.
The portrait of Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux is held in the Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon, where it forms part of the Museum of the History of France collection. It carries the inventory numbers MV 4276, INV 7507, and LP 4289, as recorded in the Joconde database of French museum collections.
The painting has not been documented in major traveling exhibitions but remains on display within the permanent holdings at Versailles.
Overview
The oil painting presents a solitary figure seated at a desk, absorbed in the act of writing. He wears an overcoat and a wig, his long, curly hair visible beneath. A quill pen rests in his hand as he works on a sheet of paper, with an open book placed before him. The composition is set against a dark backdrop that isolates the sitter and emphasizes his focused demeanor.
Context
The portrait aligns with a tradition of 17th‑century European paintings that celebrate learned individuals, often reflecting the period’s esteem for scholarship and the written word. The inclusion of a quill, open book, and scholarly attire situates the figure within the intellectual culture of the era, where portraiture frequently served to document personal achievement and erudition.
Artist & collection
Jean de La Fontaine (?)
Markiisi Simon Arnauld de Pomponne
Jules Hardouin-Mansart, count of Sagonne (1646-1708)
Charles Boucher, Herr von Orsay
Vicontele d' Argesson
Pierre Mignard
Portrait of Antoine Paillet
Philibert Orry (1689-1747)
Portrait of Charles Perrault
H Beard Print Collection
Portrait of a Man in a Gold-embroidered Coat- Nicholas Boileau
