Autoportrait

1690

Le Brun dies; Mignard becomes First Painter

In 1690 Charles Le Brun died, and the post of First Painter to the King went to Pierre Mignard rather than to Rigaud.

1695

The 1695 journey and his mother's portrait

One of the main reasons given for his journey of 1695 was the wish to paint his mother's portrait. Rigaud painted Maria Serra from several angles and had a marble bust of her made by his loyal friend, the sculptor Antoine Coysevox; it adorned his study for the rest of his life.

1700

Elected to the Royal Academy

An associate member of the Academy of Painting and Sculpture since 1684, Rigaud was elected a full academician in 1700 for a portrait of M. de la Chapelle submitted to the committee. Other accounts date this to 1710.

1700

Friendship with the engraver Pierre Drevet

Rigaud's close friendship with the engraver Pierre Drevet grew especially out of Rigaud's portrait of Drevet (1700), in which the painter also depicted himself. From then on Drevet engraved many of Rigaud's portraits — of the architect Robert de Cotte, of Charles Le Brun and of the sculptor Antoine Coysevox; Jean Daullé was another engraver of his paintings and a friend.

1709

Ennobled by Perpignan

Rigaud's hometown of Perpignan conferred nobility on him.

1712

Drevet's engraving of the Louis XIV portrait

Pierre Drevet engraved Rigaud's portraits in copper — forty-one prints are known, among them the famous portrait of Louis XIV (1712). For his large formal oil portraits Rigaud prepared drawings in Italian pencil and chalk on toned paper; Drevet engraved from those drawings, while Rigaud supervised the work and often corrected it.