# Portrait of Marc de Villiers [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [AVED, Jacques-André-Joseph]() - Date: 1701-1750 - Technique: Oil on canvas, 149 x 115 cm ## Commentary Portrait of Marc de Villiers 1747 Oil on canvas, 149 x 115 cm J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles Jacques-André-Joseph Aved created a sense of immediacy by depicting Marc de Villiers \(born 1711\), a high government official to the court of Louis XV, leaning slightly forward while fixing the spectator with an intense gaze. Next to him an ornate desk is covered with parliamentary and state papers. Grasping the arm of the chair as if about to rise, Villiers holds a copy of Homer's Iliad in his right hand, giving the impression that he has been interrupted while reading. By appearing in his study and in casual dress, the sitter presents himself not only as a high-ranking official but also as a gentleman scholar. ## Related artworks - [A Lady with Embroidery]() - [Jean-Philippe Rameau with Violin]() - [Madame Crozat]() - [Portrait of Carl Gustav Tessin, Swedish Politician]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()