Engravings based on the Marie de' Medici cycle by Peter Paul Rubens brought Jean-Marc Nattier early acclaim after their 1710 publication. Born in Paris in 1685, he initially trained under his father, a portraitist, and his uncle, the history painter Jean Jouvenet, before securing the first prize at the Paris Academy at age fifteen.
Early Career and Ambitions
Nattier enrolled at the Académie de peinture et de sculpture in 1703. Despite his early technical success, he declined to travel to Rome to continue his studies. In 1715, he journeyed to Amsterdam, where he met Peter the Great. He painted portraits of the Tsar and the Tsarina Catherine but rejected an invitation to relocate to Russia. During this period, he aspired to establish himself as a history painter, producing works such as the Battle of Lesnaya and the Petrification of Phineus and of his Companions.
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The financial instability of 1720 forced Nattier to pivot his professional focus toward portraiture, which offered a more consistent income. He became a prominent figure in French art as a court painter, specializing in depictions of the ladies of Louis XV's court. He revived the allegorical portrait, a style in which he painted living subjects as Greco-Roman goddesses or other mythological figures. This approach proved highly fashionable as it allowed him to enhance the appearance of his sitters while maintaining recognizable likenesses.
Legacy and Notable Works
Nattier's output included significant pieces such as the 1730 group portrait The Artist Surrounded by His Family and the 1738 portrait of Mathilde de Carbonnel-Canisy, marquise d'Antin, now held at the musée Jacquemart-André. His work is represented in various international collections, including the Louvre, the Wallace Collection, and the Getty Museum. He died in Paris in 1766 and was buried at the Church of Saint Eustache.
Fast facts
- Born: 1685, Paris
- Died: 1766, Paris
- Movement: Rococo
- Primary occupations: painter, portraitist
- Notable work: Perseus with Minerva Showing the Head of Medusa
- Notable work: Louis-Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre
- Burial location: Church of Saint Eustache
- Citizenship: France
Questions readers ask
What subjects did Nattier primarily paint?
He was a portraitist noted for painting the ladies of the court of Louis XV, often incorporating classical mythological themes.
Did Nattier work outside of France?
Yes, he worked in Amsterdam and The Hague, and he produced portraits of Peter the Great and the Tsarina Catherine.
Achievements
- Notable work: Louis-Jean Marie de Bourbon, Duke of Penthièvre
- Notable work: Perseus with Minerva Showing the Head of Medusa
- Movement: Rococo
