Self-Portrait in a Turban

Rigaud's Self-Portrait in a Turban of 1698 is a striking example of the fashion for exotic costume in late 17th-century European portraiture. The turban — associated with Turkish or Oriental dress — was a popular motif in self-portraits and fancy-dress portraits, signaling cosmopolitan sophistication and artistic inventiveness. By 1698 Rigaud was fully established as the court portraitist of Versailles, and this self-portrait is a demonstration of bravura freedom, contrasting with the formal rigidity of his official commissions.

The dark turban and shadowed face create a dramatic contrast with the brilliant white of the collar below. Rigaud renders silk and cloth with virtuosic specificity. The three-quarter pose and direct gaze project confident authority despite the informal costume.