Portrait of a General Officer

For his military portraits Rigaud’s regular formula is to present the figure in modern armour in three-quarter- or full-length, against a landscape background which usually shows a battle in progress. This is quite different from the convention of the previous generation, when generals preferred to be shown in the dress and action of a Roman Imperator. Rigaud’s portraits depend on van Dyck, but in the introduction of the battle scene in the background he is following a tradition already familiar in France.

The present portrait is based on a prototype by Rigaud showing the comte d’�vreux as a young man that was painted in about 1703. The cavalry skirmish in the background has been attributed to Joseph Parrocel (1646–1704).