Biography

Born and raised in Nancy, Jean Nocret moved to Rome around 1635 where he trained under the prominent French painter Nicolas Poussin. In 1644 he moved to Paris, where he was appointed official court painter to King Louis XIV and his brother, the Duke of Orleans. Having taken up residence at the Louvre, Nocret quickly established himself as a successful portrait painter. He is best known for his lavish portraits of members of the French royal family, but he also produced several large history paintings with mythological subjects as part of a larger decoration scheme for the royal palaces. From 1664 onwards, Nocret taught at the Académie in Paris, where he became very influential. His son, also called Jean Nocret, followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a court painter too.