1632 -1675 · French portrait of the Grand Siècle

Direct glances, sober gestures and precisely rendered fabrics establish Claude Lefèbvre as one of the most sought-after portrait painters of the reign of Louis XIV.

Born in Fontainebleau in 1632 into a family of painters, Claude Lefèbvre learned from his father Jean then from Claude d'Hoey. In Paris, he joined the studio of Eustache Le Sueur in 1654 and that of Charles Le Brun the following year. After a few attempts in history painting, Le Brun encouraged him to devote himself to portraiture, an area where his sense of resemblance and his elegant sobriety quickly earned him an aristocratic clientele. Received at the Royal Academy in 1663, Lefèbvre encouraged him to devote himself to portraiture, an area where his sense of resemblance and his elegant sobriety quickly earned him an aristocratic clientele. Received at the Royal Academy in 1663, Lefèbvre encouraged him to devote himself to portraiture, an area where his sense of resemblance and his elegant sobriety quickly earned him an aristocratic clientele. Received at the Royal Academy in 1663, Lefèbvre presented the portrait of Jean-Baptiste Colbert as a reception piece and became an assistant professor in 1664. His models - ministers, writers, musicians, courtiers and members of the royal family - are generally depicted mid-body, with particular attention to the face, hands and fabrics. At the Salon of 1673, he exhibited nine portraits. Died prematurely in Paris in 1675, he left a production that was once abundant but today largely lost or known by the engravings made from his paintings. The "Claude Lefèbvre" selection notably compares Charles Couperin and the painter's daughter and Jean-Baptiste Colbert. His reading favors color.

Lefèbvre constructs authority without emphasis: resemblance, look and a few rank signs are enough to give the model a lasting presence.