Thomas Morant, conseiller d'Etat

This undated portrait of Thomas Morant, conseiller d'état—a senior official in the French royal administration—held by the Museum of the History of France at Versailles, places Largillière within the highest levels of French governmental portraiture. Conseillers d'état were among the most powerful administrators in the ancien régime, advising the king on legal, financial, and governmental matters; their portraits were assertions of power and continuity in the functioning of the French state. The Museum of the History of France at Versailles collects portraits and images directly connected to French institutional history, making this an appropriate holding context. Largillière's ability to render the authority and dignity appropriate to a senior royal official while maintaining individual characterisation made him the natural choice for such politically significant commissions.

An official portrait of a conseiller d'état would incorporate the formal robes of office—typically a long gown with specific trimmings indicating rank—alongside the composed, authoritative bearing of a man accustomed to royal presence. Largillière handled official costume with the same material precision as aristocratic dress, treating the specific colour and texture of administrative robes as significant signs of institutional identity.