David, Chardin, the celebrated genre painter, Van Loo, Gérard, La Tour, Joseph Vernet, and many others were flourishing. Louis Vigée was also an artist. He painted portraits in pastel, of which his daughter says that they were extremely good, many of them worthy of the famous La Tour; also charming scenes after the style of Watteau, in oil.
Although not a great painter he was absolutely devoted to his art, in which he would become so absorbed as to forget everything else. On one occasion he was going out to dinner and had already left the house, when he remembered something he wanted to do to a picture upon which he was working. He therefore went back, took off the wig he was wearing, put on a night-cap, and began to retouch the picture. Presently he got up, went out again, forgetting all about the night-cap which he still had on, and which formed a singular contrast to his coat trimmed with gold braid, and the sword at his side; and would certainly have presented himself at the party to which he was going in this costume had he not fortunately met a neighbour, who stopped him and pointed out the strangeness of his appearance.
FOOTNOTES:
[2] Journal de Barbier, “Chronique de la Régence,” 1741.
[3] Louis XV. was five years old when he succeeded this great-grandfather, Louis XIV. (1715).
[4] “Chronique de la Régence” (Barbier, 1748).
[5] George II., although in other respects much resembling the first and fourth Georges, did not ill-treat his wife.
[6] It was afterwards changed into twenty years’ imprisonment, and then banishment (d’Argenson).
[7] Son of the late Regent.
[8] It is, however, true that such of the noblesse de province as were inclined to be tyrannical were worse than the great nobles who belonged to the court; and their oppression was more felt.