Pierre MIGNARD (1612-1695), attributed to - Lot 216

Pierre MIGNARD (1612-1695), attributed to Portrait of a man with his tie untied, c.1680 Oil on canvas in a feint oval. H_48.5 cm L_38.5 cm Faded, restorations. Our painting is a fine example of the evolution of portraiture under Louis XIV. Indeed, poses became less formal and artists took greater freedom. Here, the man is shown with the knot of his tie untied. More than original, this particularity of representation reflects a certain closeness with the painter. Pierre Mignard may have inherited his sense of portraiture from his master, Simon Vouet. Vouet, with whom he completed the second half of his apprenticeship. A painter of great talent, his trips to Italy, from which he returned at the request of Louis XIV in 1657, convinced him of the value of chiaroscuro. His portraits reveal a great deal of psychology and attention to detail. to detail. He was one of Charles Lebrun's direct competitors at the court of Louis XIV.