Self-Portrait
1707
French master Nicolas de Largillière wasn't about to paint himself looking like a stiff aristocrat in this 1707 self-portrait. Instead, he captures himself mid-work, sporting a casual striped cap and holding a paintbrush, with a backdrop of classical sculptures to prove his high-brow artistic credentials. It’s a brilliant piece of Baroque branding—showing the world that while he painted the French elite, he was fundamentally a serious, intellectual creator who knew his history.
- Technique
- Oil painting