Particular View Of The Chapel Of The Palace Of Versailles, Rigaud, 1730

Special view of the chapel of the Château de Versailles
Jacques Rigaud
Enhanced print
Around 1730

Dim: 26 x 50 cm
Frame dim: 45 x 69 cm

Jacques Rigaud (Marseille 1681- Paris 1754)
We do not know who his masters were, he must have studied with galley designers in Marseille, perhaps Michel Gospard Serre, because we find in his work six pieces on the construction of galleys. We know that in 1707 he wanted in the offices of the general director of fortifications of France. However, he seems to live in Marseille until 1720 where he engraved or prepared two paintings commissioned from Serre commissioned by the city on the plague in Marseille: View of the course of Marseille during the plague of 1720 and View of the Town Hall of Marseille during the plague of 1720. The same year he was established in Paris as a dealer and engraver of prints rue Saint-Jacques. In 1730 he began the publication of his most important work: The Royal Houses of France, which his nephew Jean-Baptiste completed. Jacques Rigaud produced a large number of views of Paris, the Louvre has a large number of them including those of the Royal houses made before the work on the castles of France. Our artist seems to have visited England, in fact we find in his work a view of Hampton Court, Saint James Park or even Greenwich Park. Given that Rigaud almost always engraved from his drawings, a trip to London seems likely. His work also includes many landscape plates, six plates for a work The Science of Engineers, seascapes or even scenes of games from Lower Provence. All these works are drawn in a lively and witty way, it is the easy expression of a vision full of interest. These engravings of a decorative effect are generally animated by characters whose style is reminiscent of the best disciples of Watteau.