Hyacinthe Rigaud

Born in 1659 in Perpignan, he received his first training in Montpellier. Around 1681 he moved to Paris, where he was accepted into the Académie Royale. He specialised in portrait painting, and was sought after by the court, the nobility and the clergy. His portraits combine in an exemplary manner an iconographic program, appropriate gestures, psychological acuity and painterly elegance. A fine example is his famous portrait of Louis XIV from 1701. He died in Paris in 1743.