Nicolas de Largillière (French, 1656-1746)

Nicolas de Largillière (French, 1656-1746)
Portrait of a seated child with a spaniel
oil on canvas
92 x 73 cm. (36 x 28 1/4 in.)

Provenance
Anonymous Sale, Chrisites, London, 9th July 1999, lot 99
Private Collection, UK

Nicolas de Largillière was baptised in Paris at the Church of Saint-Barthélemy on 10 October 1656. The son of a hat merchant, he spent much of his early childhood in Antwerp, where his family relocated when he was about three. A visit to London eventually led his father to place him in the studio of the Flemish artist Anton Goubau, where Largillière began his formal artistic training. At eighteen, he left Antwerp and returned to England, where he found work and mentorship under the prominent portraitist Sir Peter Lely at Windsor. During this period, he also gained experience assisting the Italian decorative painter Antonio Verrio.