Workshop of Hyacinthe Rigaud

The painting is slightly less red than the catalogue illustration suggests. The modern relining has not adversely affected the paint surface which is clean and apears to the naked eye to be in good overall condition, as confrimed by UV light, under which just minor old retouchings flouresce as well as an old repair lower centre. In an ornate carved wooden frame with some losses.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The painting is a studio version of Rigaud's prototype in the Château de Versailles, thought to date from 1703. In his sitter book, an incomplete record of his oeuvre, Rigaud first mentions a portrait of the count in 1703 and lists this as a copy: "Mr le comte d'Evreux. Habillement répété." (see H. Rigaud, Le livre de raison du peintre Hyacinthe Rigaud, Paris 1919, pp. 101, 105–6, 112–14, 127).  The artist and members of his workshop produced at least seven likenesses of him, many of them copies, between 1703 and 1707. Extant variants of this composition are in the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Kassel (123 by 95.5 cm), and in the Göteborg Konstmuseum, Gothenburg, Sweden (117 by 90 cm). Autograph variants showing the Count at a more advanced age are held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, as well as in a private collection (for this last see S. Perreau, Hyacinth Rigaud, Le peintre des Rois, Montpellier 2004, p. 207, fig. 187, reproduced).