Portrait du Président Jean Bouhier

Painted in 1703 and held by the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, this portrait of Jean Bouhier—president of the Parlement de Dijon and a man of considerable literary learning—places Largillière within the world of provincial French judicial and intellectual culture. Bouhier was an Academician and an important figure in the cultural life of Burgundy, corresponding with the leading literary figures of his age, including Voltaire. A portrait by Largillière would have confirmed Bouhier's status as a figure worthy of the most distinguished Parisian portrait artists, bridging the gap between provincial prestige and national cultural recognition. Dijon's Musée des Beaux-Arts holds the portrait in the city where Bouhier himself exercised authority, making this one of the more geographically resonant holdings of Largillière's work outside Paris.

The Président's portrait would have incorporated the formal robes of the magistracy—typically scarlet or black with specific trimmings—establishing his judicial identity alongside his individual character. Largillière handled official costume with the same material precision he brought to aristocratic dress, treating the specific weave and colour of judicial fabric as a significant element of sitter identity.