Portrait de Joseph Hyacinthe François-de-Paule de Rigaud, comte de Vaudreuil

The Comte de Vaudreuil was one of Vigée Le Brun's most important early patrons and an intimate of the court of Marie Antoinette, where the painter herself was a favorite. This 1784 portrait, now in The Huntington, captures him in the aristocratic ease that Vigée Le Brun was unmatched in conveying — the informal confidence of a man accustomed to power and pleasure. Vaudreuil was an art collector, theater enthusiast, and close friend of the Queen; his portrait is one of the finest male portraits in Vigée Le Brun's career, demonstrating that her skills extended well beyond the feminine subjects she is most associated with.

The male portrait shows Vigée Le Brun adapting her fluid technique to a more restrained, masculine register. The coat and cravat are rendered with careful attention to texture, the face modeled with forthright directness. The informally tilted pose and natural expression convey the sitter's character with apparent ease.