Francisque Millet
Encyclopedia
Francisque Millet also known as Jean-François Milée or Millet I, was a Flemish
- French
painter of the Baroque
period.
, who had been tempted to move to Brabant as a result of the patronage of Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé
. Since he found a market for ivory work in Antwerp, he stayed there and when later his son showed a talent for drawing, he apprenticed him to Laurentius Frank, a cousin of Abraham Genoels. This Genoels wrote Houbraken that he met Millet as a boy of 17 in 1659 in Paris (Houbraken mentions that he is aware that this shows a descrepancy with Millet's recorded birthdate in Antwerp by two years) where he was working with his cousin. Genoels claimed that the young Millet had a remarkable memory for detail, and could make copies of any artwork quickly and accurately without needing to turn his head towards the subject. He could thus make copies of paintings with ease. At the age of eighteen he married his master's daughter. He specialized in Italianate landscapes with figures in the manner of Pousyn (Houbraken means the landscape painter Gaspard Dughet
, Nicolas Poussin
's brother-in-law). Though he enjoyed success on his travels through France, England, and Holland, he tended to spend more than he earned, a practise which Houbraken disapproved of. He suffered from a sudden high fever which caused him to go insane and died shortly thereafter at the age of 36. He was buried in the St Nicolas-des-Champs church in Paris.
Perhaps because of the confusion between this painter and later painters with the same name, most notably Jean-François Millet
, Mark Twain
later wrote a farcical play called Is He Dead?
, about an artist who stages his own death in order to make more money with his work.
Flemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
- French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
painter of the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
period.
Biography
According to Houbraken, he was the son of an ivory worker from DijonDijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
, who had been tempted to move to Brabant as a result of the patronage of Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé
Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé
Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Condé was a French general and the most famous representative of the Condé branch of the House of Bourbon. Prior to his father's death in 1646, he was styled the Duc d'Enghien...
. Since he found a market for ivory work in Antwerp, he stayed there and when later his son showed a talent for drawing, he apprenticed him to Laurentius Frank, a cousin of Abraham Genoels. This Genoels wrote Houbraken that he met Millet as a boy of 17 in 1659 in Paris (Houbraken mentions that he is aware that this shows a descrepancy with Millet's recorded birthdate in Antwerp by two years) where he was working with his cousin. Genoels claimed that the young Millet had a remarkable memory for detail, and could make copies of any artwork quickly and accurately without needing to turn his head towards the subject. He could thus make copies of paintings with ease. At the age of eighteen he married his master's daughter. He specialized in Italianate landscapes with figures in the manner of Pousyn (Houbraken means the landscape painter Gaspard Dughet
Gaspard Dughet
Gaspard Dughet , also known as Gaspard Poussin, was a French painter born in Rome.A pupil of Nicolas Poussin, Gaspard Dughet was the brother of Poussin's wife...
, Nicolas Poussin
Nicolas Poussin
Nicolas Poussin was a French painter in the classical style. His work predominantly features clarity, logic, and order, and favors line over color. His work serves as an alternative to the dominant Baroque style of the 17th century...
's brother-in-law). Though he enjoyed success on his travels through France, England, and Holland, he tended to spend more than he earned, a practise which Houbraken disapproved of. He suffered from a sudden high fever which caused him to go insane and died shortly thereafter at the age of 36. He was buried in the St Nicolas-des-Champs church in Paris.
Legacy
Though Houbraken claimed he had two sons who both became painters, the Dutch RKD only shows him influencing the painter Jean-François Millet (II) and Jean Coustel.Perhaps because of the confusion between this painter and later painters with the same name, most notably Jean-François Millet
Jean-François Millet
Jean-François Millet was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school in rural France...
, Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
later wrote a farcical play called Is He Dead?
Is He Dead?
Is He Dead? is a play by Mark Twain. It was first published in print in 2003, after Mark Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin read the manuscript in the archives of the Mark Twain Papers at the University of California at Berkeley. The play was long known to scholars but never attracted much...
, about an artist who stages his own death in order to make more money with his work.