Louis XV (1710–1774)
ArtistStudio of
Hyacinthe Rigaud
French, 1659–1743
Datecirca 1715–1717
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions70 1/2 x 53 1/2 in. (179.1 x 135.9 cm)
Frame: 99 3/4 x 70 in. (253.4 x 177.8 cm)
Frame: 99 3/4 x 70 in. (253.4 x 177.8 cm)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LinePurchased with funds from the North Carolina State Art Society (Robert F. Phifer Bequest)
Object numberG.52.9.132
On View
On viewThis official portrait of Louis XV in coronation robes takes several elements directly from paintings that his great-grandfather and the artist, Hyacinthe Rigaud, had crafted over several decades. In a grand setting and draped in luxurious fabrics covered in gold fleur-de-lis (the symbol of France), Louis makes a commanding gesture of absolute authority and wealth.
[M.Frederick, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," 2022]Provenancen 1716 Rigaud's assistant Charles Sévin de la Penaye (1686-1749) made two copies of a portrait of Louis XV, as well as another in 1717; [Vicomte Janzé collection?] With Peikan Galleries, New York; sold to NCMA, 1952.
Published ReferencesJ. Roman, Le Livre de raison du peintre Hyacinthe Rigaud (Paris, 1919), 178-278.
W. R. Valentiner, Catalogue of Paintings: Including Three Sets of Tapestries (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1956), no. 161, illus. (b-w).
B[enjamin] F. W[illiams], North Carolina Museum of Art Calendar of Art Events 2, no. 1 (October 1958), discussed and illus. (b-w) unnumbered page.
Robert F. Phifer Collection (exhibition catalogue) (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1973), 72, illus. (b-w) 73.
Joseph P. Covington, entry for Louis XV, in North Carolina Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections, Rebecca Martin Nagy, ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 1998), 170, illus. (color).
Joseph P. Covington, entry for Louis XV (1710-1774), in North Carolina Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections, rev. ed. (Raleigh: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2010), 348, illus. (color) 349.
Vanessa I. Schmid with Julia I. Armstrong-Totten, eds. The Orléans Collection (exhibition catalogue) (New Orleans: New Orleans Museum of Art, 2018), cat. no. 5, illus. (color).
Victoria Scott-Miller, The Museum Lives in Me (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Museum of Art, 2022), illus 16 (artist's illustration).Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Robert F. Phifer Collection,” March 31-May 13, 1973, 72, illus. (b-w) 73.
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, Mary Duke Biddle Gallery, “Facets of Faces: Functions of Portraits,” September 1, 1989-June 1, 1990.
New Orleans, LA, New Orleans Museum of Art, “The Orléans Collection,” October 26, 2018–January 27, 2019, cat. No. 5, illus. (color).
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "Gentileschi/Wiley: Two Paintings of Judith 400 Years Apart," October 22, 2022–January 15, 2023.
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," January 19, 2023–May 29, 2024.
Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," June 17, 2024-present. Object Rights Statement
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