Nicolas deLARGILLERRE
French 1656-1746
Crown Prince Frederick Augustus of Saxony
1714-15
oil on canvas
137.1 x 103.8 cm
Everard Studley Miller Bequest 1968
1819-5

The sitter was the Elector of Saxony and King Augustus III of Poland. This is a truly magisterial portrait in the French manner, which was a popular style for European royalty during the eighteenth century. Largillierre's flamboyant technique and penchant for dramatic settings was precisely what his many sitters demanded. This portrait was copied many times and was an image that must have appealed to Frederick.