Portrait of the Assessor of the Municipality of Paris

In the catalogues of the Stanisław August collection, the portrait is described as the work of Largillière. In the inventory of the Łazienki Palace of 1839 the uniform is identified (for the first time) as that of the President of the English Parliament [sic] ... .

The painting, in fact, depicts a member of the Paris magistracy, perhaps one of the échevins (assessors, councillors). The sitter wears clothing related to his function–a dark brown robe fastened with a row of small buttons, resembling the cassock of a Catholic clergyman, a sash of the same colour and a wide, red cloak cut like a chasuble and lined in the same colour as his clothing (a mayor’s clothing was the other way round—a red robe and brown coat with red lining). White tassels are visible beneath the diaphanous bavette. This uniform is only partially visible on our painting, but is known from other works by Largillière—portraits of members of the municipal authorities (individual, as well as collective) commissioned by the Hôtel de Ville ... .

The Łazienki portrait should be dated to the end of the 17th century. It is of good quality, the handling and modelling being skilful, yet not on a par with the best works of the master. [See D. Juszczak, H. Małachowicz, The Stanisław August Collection of Paintings at the Royal Łazienki. Catalogue, Royal Łazienki Museum, Warsaw 2016, no. 59, pp. 230–232.]