Nicolas Jean-Baptiste Hallé en saint Jean-Baptiste

This 1696 work depicts Nicolas Jean-Baptiste Hallé in the guise of Saint John the Baptist, combining portraiture with religious subject matter in a format popular among French collectors of the period. Largillière was known for these demi-costume portraits, in which the sitter appears with the attributes of a biblical or allegorical figure. The year 1696 falls within Largillière's most productive decade, when his studio was among the busiest in Paris.

Hallé is depicted in the saint's traditional rough garment, holding a staff and gesturing outward in a preaching pose. Largillière's warm flesh tones and rich, confident drapery handling bring the devotional figure to life with portrait-like individuality.