Title: Marc de Villiers,

Artist: André-Joseph Aved

Title: Portrait of Marc de Villiers, Secrétaire du Roi Date: 1747 Artist: Jacques-André-Joseph Aved (French, 1702–1766) Medium: Oil on canvas Description: As a portraitist, Aved was concerned with capturing the character of his sitters, not just their physical appearance. Here Marc de Villiers (1671–1762), one of the secretaries to King Louis XV, is depicted with state papers on his desk to demonstrate his status. In contrast to more formal official portraits, however, Villiers, in casual evening dress, is shown in his personal study looking up from a volume of Homer’s Iliad, indicating that he is also a gentleman scholar.