Louis-Urbain Le Peletier, maître des Requêtes

This undated portrait of Louis-Urbain Le Peletier, maître des requêtes—a position in the French royal administration responsible for reviewing petitions and requests to the crown—held by the Palace of Versailles, places Largillière again within the senior administrative and judicial stratum of French society that was among his most important portrait markets. The maitres des requêtes were high-ranking officials whose decisions shaped the legal and administrative texture of ancien régime France; their portraits carried institutional weight as well as personal significance. Versailles's collection of portraits of French officials, judges, and administrators provides context for understanding how comprehensive the palace's documentation of French institutional life became over the centuries. Largillière's formula for official male portraiture—imposing costume, authoritative bearing, and an individualised face—served this category of sitter as well as it served the aristocracy.

Official administrative portraits shared many features with aristocratic portraiture in Largillière's practice, with the primary difference being in costume: judicial or administrative robes replaced the embroidered coats and armour of military or court sitters. His approach to these different costume types was equally assured, adapting his brushwork to the specific textures of legal black, velvet trim, and formal headgear.