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Article: Collecting 18th-Century French Portraits

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Home›How to collect antique paintings›Collecting 18th-Century French Portraits

Collecting 18th-Century French Portraits

In 1701 Louis XIV ordered a portrait for his grandson, the new King of Spain, liked it, and kept it for himself.

Hyacinthe Rigaud, Louis XIV in Coronation Robes. Now in the Louvre.

A gentleman in a powdered wig against a plain brown ground, French School The bust Head and shoulders against a plain brown ground, and nothing else. Gentleman in a Powdered Wig, French School, 1700s
A gentleman with a lace jabot and a pink carnation pinned to his breast The rolled wig Powdered, rolled at the sides and tied at the nape, a carnation at the jabot. Gentleman with a Carnation, follower of Tocqué, 1700s
A gentleman in a long powdered wig and a red coat, in a carved gilt frame The court manner Rigaud's long wig and red coat, at bust size. Gentleman in a Red Coat, after Rigaud, 1700s
A gentleman in a red coat, his grey hair rolled over the ears, a white stock tied high The later sitter Grey hair rolled over the ears, a white stock tied high. Gentleman in a Red Coat, French School, 1700s

An 18th-century French portrait below the king was almost always a bust. Head and shoulders, against a plain ground.

Why Most Surviving 18th-Century French Portraits Are Busts

More sitters, smaller canvases.

Schematic: a full-length portrait in 1701, a half-length in the 1740s, a small oval bust in the 1780s, the canvas shrinking as the century goes on
1701Full lengthThe king and the court 1740sHalf lengthMagistrates and bankers 1780sThe oval bustActresses and philosophers

Each generation, more sitters and less canvas.

Rigaud's king stands 9 feet tall (277 cm). The busts in this collection measure about 20 inches (51 cm).

How to Read an 18th-Century French Portrait

Find where the painter spent his time.

Gentleman in a Powdered Wig, French School, late 1700s

The face worked smooth, the cheeks carrying most of the colour on the canvasDetail of the face.The faceWorked to a finishSmooth and blended, no stroke left standingThe colour carried in the cheeks Half a dozen loaded white strokes make the jabot, the loosest painting anywhere on the canvasDetail of the jabot.The jabotLaid in quicklyHalf a dozen loaded white strokesThe loosest painting on the canvas

The sitter paid for the face. The lace could be quick.

Buying an 18th-Century French Portrait

Judge the face, not the name An attribution states a probability. In a busy workshop the face and hands went to the best hand, so look there first.
Ask for the back A bust is small enough to have kept its first canvas. The gentleman in the powdered wig still sits on the stretcher he was painted on.

Works citedHyacinthe Rigaud, Louis XIV in Coronation Robes, 1701. Musée du Louvre, Paris

French portraits for sale

Portrait of a gentleman in a powdered wig, French School oil on canvas, late 18th century, sold unframed Gentleman in a Powdered Wig $3,300See the painting Antique 18th century French portrait of a gentleman with a lace jabot and a pink carnation, oil on canvas in a gilt frame Gentleman with a Carnation $5,800See the painting A man in a red coat and lace cravat under a long powdered wig, French school, in a carved gilt frame Gentleman in a Red Coat, 1700s $4,800See the painting Portrait of a gentleman in a red coat with a white stock and lace jabot, oil on canvas, 18th century French school, unframed Gentleman in a Red Coat, 1700s $2,800See the painting
For sale
Antique Portrait Paintings Antique Portrait Paintings25 paintingsBrowse the collection
Keep reading More in The Portrait TraditionRoyal Portraits, Made to Be Copied Related guideRigaud, Tocqué and the French Rococo Portrait Related guidePortraits of Unknown Sitters in Old Master Painting Every guide, by subject

Original works, shipped free to the US and Canada, packed and tracked|Over 1,100 paintings sold since 2017

Photographs and descriptions of the paintings in our collection by GalerieClub Fine Art.