Potrait of a Gentleman by Nicolas de Largilliere (1656 - 1746). Oil on Canvas, Canvas is Oval 25 3/4" x 32", Frame within the Frame 29"x35", Outer Frame 37 1/2" x 43 1/2". The Inside Canvas Reads: Largilliere Sold by him to Wm. Whiting. Written Later "Property of Benjamin Cage US Navy". Largilliere born in Paris in 1656; he was the pupil of Antoine Goubeau in Antwerp and later of Lely in London. His work with Lely brought him to the attention of Charles II whose portrait he painted. He came to Paris after spending four years in England and soon gained a large following as a portraitist.
In 1686 he was admitted to the French Academy for his portrait work, although he had, for a time, enjoyed a great success as an historical painter. After the deaths of Le Brun and Mignard, he was considered the foremost portraitist of his time and described as the French Van Dyck. He occupied consecutively all the offices of honor in the Academy, and died of paralysis at the age of ninety in 1746.