De Largillière, Nicolas
⚬1656/10 - †1746/03/20
Nicolas de Largillière was an influential French painter. He was baptized in Paris on October 10, 1656. He was the son of Antoon Largillière, an Antwerp milliner, and Maria Mignon. When he was three, the Largillière family moved back to Antwerp, where he was apprenticed to the painter Antoine Goubeau (1616 - 1698) in 1669. In 1674 Nicolas joined the Guild of St. Luke of Antwerp. In 1675 de Largillière went to England to work in the studio of Peter Lely (1618 - 1680). He painted flowers, accessories, and curtains for Lely's paintings. He also took work as a restorer of paintings under the King of England. He returned to Paris in 1678 due to the anti-Catholic climate in London. In Paris, he enjoyed a successful reputation and was under the patronage of Charles Le Brun (1619 - 1690). In 1685 he returned to England for a short period to paint the portrait of King James II. On March 30, 1686, he was admitted to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris, where he was appointed lecturer on July 4, 1699, became rector on January 10, 1722, director on July 5, 1738, and chancellor on May 30, 1743. In 1699 and 1704, he participated in the Salons. He married Marguerite-Élisabeth Forest in 1699 with whom he had two daughters and a son. He died March 20, 1746, at his home in Paris on rue Geoffroy-l'Anjou and was buried in the church of Saint-Marri.
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