Portrait of Anne Louis Goislard de Montsabert, Comte de Richbourg-le-Toureil, 1734 (oil on canvas)

Largillière was a leading portraitist for the French upper classes in the early 18th century. He is known for a relaxed, personable style, seen in the sitter's open shirt and the wig powder strewn on his shoulders. Largillière had a distinct approach among French painters of the period, using warm colors, broad brushstrokes, and curving lines, heavily influenced by his Flemish training. In this portrait the artists created an intimate space by focusing in tightly on Goislard, who approaches the picture plane instead of receding into the surroundings. Goislard was a part of a prominent family of lawyers in the city of Angers, France. He commissioned this work to commemorate his accomplishments of joining Parlement, or governing council, of France in 1732 and earning the title Lord of Montsabert the following year. --David Silvernail (April 2012)