Later Stuart Portraits Catalogue
Charles de Marquetel de Saint-Evremond (1613?-1703), Wit and courtier
- Gallery portraits
- All known portraits
- Biography and References
Soldier and writer; b. near Coutances, Normandy; with the French army from 1630; first visited England on a diplomatic mission 1660 and took refuge there in 1661 following satires directed against Mazarin; briefly visited Holland 1665-70, but otherwise stayed in England, where he was received at court and admired as a wit, essayist and poet, without ever mastering the English language; although French and an atheist, he was buried in Westminster Abbey.
‘well made [with a] natural and easy carriage. His eyes were blue, keen, and full of fire, his face bright and intelligent, his smile somewhat satirical. In youth he had had fine black hair, but though it had become quite white, and even very sparse, he would never wear a wig, and contented himself with wearing a skullcap. More than twenty years before his death a wen developed at the root of his nose, and grew to a good size, but this did not disfigure him very much, at least in the eyes of those who saw him habitually’ (P. Silvestre, 1705).
This extended catalogue entry is from the National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Later Stuart Portraits 1685-1714, National Portrait Gallery, 2009, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.
‘well made [with a] natural and easy carriage. His eyes were blue, keen, and full of fire, his face bright and intelligent, his smile somewhat satirical. In youth he had had fine black hair, but though it had become quite white, and even very sparse, he would never wear a wig, and contented himself with wearing a skullcap. More than twenty years before his death a wen developed at the root of his nose, and grew to a good size, but this did not disfigure him very much, at least in the eyes of those who saw him habitually’ (P. Silvestre, 1705).
This extended catalogue entry is from the National Portrait Gallery collection catalogue: John Ingamells, National Portrait Gallery: Later Stuart Portraits 1685-1714, National Portrait Gallery, 2009, and is as published then. For the most up-to-date details on individual Collection works, we recommend reading the information provided in the Search the Collection results on this website in parallel with this text.