François de Troy
Encyclopedia
François de Troy was a French
painter
and engraver who became principal painter to King James II
in exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye
and Director of the Académie Royale de peinture et de sculpture
.
, the son of Nicolas de Troy (1608 - 15 September 1684), a painter in that city, and was the brother of Jean de Troy (4 April 1638 - 25 June 1691). Troy was taught the basic skills of painting by his father, and perhaps also by the more worldly Antoine Durand.
François de Troy is not to be confused with his son, the portrait painter Jean-François de Troy (1679–1752), who studied under him.
to study portrait painting under Claude Lefebvre
(1633–1675) and Nicolas-Pierre Loir
(1624–1679]. A. P. F. Robert-Dumesnil states that this occurred when Troy was aged twenty-four.
In 1669, Troy married his master Nicolas-Pierre Loir's sister-in-law, Jeanne Cotelle.
In 1671, he was approved (agréé) by the Académie Royale de peinture et de sculpture
. In 1674, he was received into the Academy as a history painter, with a reception piece (morceau de réception) entitled Mercure coupant la tête d'Argus ('Mercury
cutting off the head of Argus
').
Troy's early known works include tapestry designs for Madame de Montespan, one of the many mistresses of Louis XIV of France
, and paintings with religious and mythological subjects.
In the 1670s, he became friendly with Roger de Piles
, who introduced him to Dutch and Flemish painting, and after the death of Claude Lefebvre in 1675, Troy changed his direction to become a portrait artist, aiming at commissions from Lefebvre's former clients. In 1679 he was commissioned to paint a portrait of the Swedish ambassador Nils Bielke
, and in 1680 that of Maria Anna of Bavaria (1660-1690), shortly after her marriage to Louis, Dauphin of France (1661-1711), the heir to the French throne, on 7 March 1680. Troy became a successful painter of fashionable single and group portraits. His clients included Madame de Montespan, her son by the king, Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, Duke of Maine, and his wife Anne-Louise-Bénédicte de Bourbon-Condé
.
As a result of such commissions, Troy was able to work continuously in court circles for almost fifty years. He was admired for his ability to capture the upper classes and their preoccupation with manners and fashion. Perhaps more importantly, he was said to have the ability to make any woman look beautiful, which made him sought after by all women.
In the 1690s, Troy became the principal painter to the court of King James II
in exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye
, where he was the master of Alexis Simon Belle
.
By the years 1698 to 1701, a period of peace between France and Great Britain, Jacobites could cross the English Channel carrying portraits of James Francis Edward Stuart
and his sister Princess Louisa Maria
. Troy was then James II's only court painter and needed the help of Belle, his best student, to produce the many portraits commissioned from him.
In 1698, he was appointed a Professor of the Académie Royale, and in 1708 became its Director.
Troy was an engraver as well as a painter. Among his engravings is one of the funeral in 1683 of Maria Theresa of Spain
, the wife of King Louis XIV.
Apart from his son, Jean-François, Troy's other students included André Bouys
and John Closterman
.
He died in Paris
at the age of eighty-five.
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
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and engraver who became principal painter to King James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
in exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
and Director of the Académie Royale de peinture et de sculpture
Académie de peinture et de sculpture
The Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture , Paris, was founded in 1648, modelled on Italian examples, such as the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. Paris already had the Académie de Saint-Luc, which was a city artist guild like any other Guild of Saint Luke...
.
Early life
One of a family of artists, Troy was born in ToulouseToulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, the son of Nicolas de Troy (1608 - 15 September 1684), a painter in that city, and was the brother of Jean de Troy (4 April 1638 - 25 June 1691). Troy was taught the basic skills of painting by his father, and perhaps also by the more worldly Antoine Durand.
François de Troy is not to be confused with his son, the portrait painter Jean-François de Troy (1679–1752), who studied under him.
Career
At some time after 1662, Troy went to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to study portrait painting under Claude Lefebvre
Claude Lefebvre (artist)
Claude Lefebvre was a French painter and engraver.-Early life:Lefebvre was born at Fontainebleau. He studied art under Eustache Le Sueur and Charles Le Brun at Fontainebleau.-Career:...
(1633–1675) and Nicolas-Pierre Loir
Nicolas-Pierre Loir
Nicolas Pierre Loir , was a French painter and engraver of religious and historical allegories.-Biography:According to the RKD he was a pupil of Sébastien Bourdon and Simon Vouet, who later became a follower of Nicolas Poussin. He travelled to Italy in the years 1647–1649, and in 1650 was...
(1624–1679]. A. P. F. Robert-Dumesnil states that this occurred when Troy was aged twenty-four.
In 1669, Troy married his master Nicolas-Pierre Loir's sister-in-law, Jeanne Cotelle.
In 1671, he was approved (agréé) by the Académie Royale de peinture et de sculpture
Académie de peinture et de sculpture
The Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture , Paris, was founded in 1648, modelled on Italian examples, such as the Accademia di San Luca in Rome. Paris already had the Académie de Saint-Luc, which was a city artist guild like any other Guild of Saint Luke...
. In 1674, he was received into the Academy as a history painter, with a reception piece (morceau de réception) entitled Mercure coupant la tête d'Argus ('Mercury
Mercury (mythology)
Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces...
cutting off the head of Argus
Argus Panoptes
In Greek mythology, Argus Panoptes or Argos, guardian of the heifer-nymph Io and son of Arestor, was a primordial giant whose epithet "Panoptes", "all-seeing", led to his being described with multiple, often one hundred, eyes. The epithet Panoptes was applied to the Titan of the Sun, Helios, and...
').
Troy's early known works include tapestry designs for Madame de Montespan, one of the many mistresses of Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
, and paintings with religious and mythological subjects.
In the 1670s, he became friendly with Roger de Piles
Roger de Piles
Roger de Piles was a French painter, engraver, art critic and diplomat.-Life:Born in Clamecy, Roger de Piles started his career in art as a pupil of Claude François....
, who introduced him to Dutch and Flemish painting, and after the death of Claude Lefebvre in 1675, Troy changed his direction to become a portrait artist, aiming at commissions from Lefebvre's former clients. In 1679 he was commissioned to paint a portrait of the Swedish ambassador Nils Bielke
Nils Bielke
Count Nils Bielke was a member of the High Council of Sweden, military and politician.Born the eldest son of Baron Ture Nilsson Bielke, who died in 1648, Queen Christina granted the young boy the barony of Korpo in the archipelago of Finland Proper in 1649...
, and in 1680 that of Maria Anna of Bavaria (1660-1690), shortly after her marriage to Louis, Dauphin of France (1661-1711), the heir to the French throne, on 7 March 1680. Troy became a successful painter of fashionable single and group portraits. His clients included Madame de Montespan, her son by the king, Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, Duke of Maine, and his wife Anne-Louise-Bénédicte de Bourbon-Condé
Anne, Duchess of Maine
Louise Bénédicte de Bourbon , was the daughter of Henri Jules de Bourbon, prince de Condé and Anne Henriette of Bavaria. As a member of the reigning House of Bourbon, she was a princesse du sang. She was known as Louise-Bénédicte. She has no surviving descendants...
.
As a result of such commissions, Troy was able to work continuously in court circles for almost fifty years. He was admired for his ability to capture the upper classes and their preoccupation with manners and fashion. Perhaps more importantly, he was said to have the ability to make any woman look beautiful, which made him sought after by all women.
In the 1690s, Troy became the principal painter to the court of King James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
in exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
, where he was the master of Alexis Simon Belle
Alexis Simon Belle
Alexis Simon Belle was a French portrait painter, known for his portraits of the French and Jacobite nobility.-Birth:...
.
By the years 1698 to 1701, a period of peace between France and Great Britain, Jacobites could cross the English Channel carrying portraits of James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...
and his sister Princess Louisa Maria
Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart
Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart , known to Jacobites as The Princess Royal, was the last child of James II and VII , the deposed king of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of his queen, Mary of Modena...
. Troy was then James II's only court painter and needed the help of Belle, his best student, to produce the many portraits commissioned from him.
In 1698, he was appointed a Professor of the Académie Royale, and in 1708 became its Director.
Troy was an engraver as well as a painter. Among his engravings is one of the funeral in 1683 of Maria Theresa of Spain
Maria Theresa of Spain
Maria Theresa of Austria was the daughter of Philip IV, King of Spain and Elizabeth of France. Maria Theresa was Queen of France as wife of King Louis XIV and mother of the Grand Dauphin, an ancestor of the last four Bourbon kings of France.-Early life:Born as Infanta María Teresa of Spain at the...
, the wife of King Louis XIV.
Apart from his son, Jean-François, Troy's other students included André Bouys
André Bouys
André Bouys, a French portrait painter and mezzotint engraver, was born at Hyères about the year 1656. He studied under François de Troy, and acquired sufficient reputation to gain admission into the Academy in 1688, when he presented a portrait of the painter Charles de La Fosse, now at...
and John Closterman
John Closterman
John Closterman , portrait-painter, born in Osnabrück, the son of an artist, who taught him the rudiments of design.-Career:...
.
He died in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at the age of eighty-five.
Work
The portraits painted by Troy include (see image gallery) -- Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell, 1690
- Lady Mary Herbert, Viscountess Montagu, as Diana, c. 1692
- Jean de la FontaineJean de La FontaineJean de La Fontaine was the most famous French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his Fables, which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Europe and numerous alternative versions in France, and in French regional...
- Jules Hardouin-MansartJules Hardouin MansartJules Hardouin-Mansart was a French architect whose work is generally considered to be the apex of French Baroque architecture, representing the power and grandeur of Louis XIV...
(1646–1708) - Élisabeth Jacquet de La GuerreÉlisabeth Jacquet de La GuerreÉlisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre was a French musician, harpsichordist and composer.-Life and works:...
(1665–1729) - Princess Louisa Maria StuartLouisa Maria Teresa StuartLouisa Maria Teresa Stuart , known to Jacobites as The Princess Royal, was the last child of James II and VII , the deposed king of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of his queen, Mary of Modena...
(1692–1712), about 1705 - Portrait d'un couple en Vénus et Pâris, 1691, 150 cm by 120 cm, now in the LouvreLouvreThe Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
External links
- François de Troy at culture.gouv.fr
- François de Troy at the web site of the National Portrait Gallery, London