02 — ARTIST
DESPORTES, Alexandre-François
b. 1661 Champigneulles · d. 1743 Paris · Baroque
BIOGRAPHY
French painter of dogs, game, and emblems of the chase. In his early career he worked much as a portraitist, notably in 1695-96 at the court of Jan Sobieski (John III) in Poland, but on his return to France he took up hunting subjects and won the patronage of Louis XIV and Louis XV. He achieved considerable celebrity (he was well received on a visit to England in 1712) and in his field was rivaled only by Oudry. Although he continued the lavish Flemish tradition exemplified by Snyders, Desportes was among the first artists of the 18th century to make landscape studies from nature for his backgrounds, and because of this he was considered eccentric. His work is well represented in the Louvre (which has his self-portrait as a Huntsman, 1699) and in the Wallace Collection, London.
WORKS IN ARCHIVE
12 OF 14 RECORDS
- A Dog and a Cat Fighting in a Kitchen Interior 1710
- Bonne, Nonne and Ponne, Dogs of King Louis XIV 1702
- Dog Guarding a Hunting Trophy 1724
- Fruits, Flowers and Vegetables in a Landscape 1720
- Landscape Study from Nature 1699
- Pantry with Artichokes, Cauliflowers and a Basket of Mushrooms 1724
- River Landscape 1700
- Self-Portrait as a Huntsman 1699
- Still-Life 1725
- Still-Life of Game 1750
- Still-Life of a Kitchen Table 1734
- Still-Life with Dead Hare and Fruit 1711
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-desportes-alexandre-franois,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {DESPORTES, Alexandre-François},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-09},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/desportes-alexandre-franois-r7b738ec596597b},
urldate = {2026-09-09},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-09. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.