Artist

(b. 1681, Puyloubier, d. 1754, Paris)

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Details

French engraver and designer. He is often confused by biographers with his brother Jean-Baptiste (active 1750s). The son of an apothecary, he began his career in Marseille, although little is known of his training and early life. His earliest dated drawing is a large and panoramic View of Toulon During the Siege of 1707, executed when the artist was twenty-six years old; the drawing, which was also reproduced as an engraving, is today in the Musée du Vieux Toulon. Rigaud came to be best known as a printmaker, with an oeuvre of around two hundred prints. Until 1720 he worked in Marseille and elsewhere in Provence, creating a number of engravings. After 1720 he settled in Paris, where he worked as a draughtsman and printseller. Rigaud became known in particular for his drawings of views of Paris and other French cities, châteaux and gardens, most of which were published as sets of engravings. Rigaud's most important work, the series of Maisons Royales de France - numbering 138 prints in total - was eventually completed by his brother. In February 1733 Rigaud travelled to London. He worked in England for about a year and a half, mainly in London, where he produced views of the Royal residences and parks, including St. James's Park, Hampton Court and Richmond. He also worked for a number of aristocratic and noble patrons, producing views of Stowe for Lord Cobham and the garden at Chiswick House for Lord Burlington, as well as views of Claremont for the Duke of Newcastle. //

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Category	Artists
Artists by letter	R
Artist nationality	French