Jean François de Troy was a French Rococo

Rococo

Rococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...

 painter and tapestry

Tapestry

Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...

 designer. He was one of a family of painters, being the son of the portrait painter François de Troy

François de Troy

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.-Early life:...

 (1645–1730), under whom he first studied, and at whose expense he first went to Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 from 1699 to 1706, staying in Rome, but also visiting many north Italian cities.

Biography

The successful career of de Troy was based initially on large historical and allegorical compositions, such as Time Unveiling Truth (1733, National Gallery, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

), but he is now most highly regarded for his smaller (cabinet-sized

Cabinet (room)

A cabinet was one of a number of terms for a private room in the domestic architecture and that of palaces of early modern Europe, a room serving as a study or retreat, usually for a man. The cabinet would be furnished with books and works of art, and sited adjacent to his bedchamber, the...

) and more spirited scenes of elegant social life, painted in Paris between 1725 and 1738, when he went to Rome. They are among the best of those that rode on the wave of Watteau's success—indeed The Alarm, or the Gouvernante Fidèle (1723, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1723) was attributed to Watteau in the 19th century. A versatile artist, he made these tableaux de modes famous, while also painting histories and mythologies

Mythology

The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...

 in a colourful and fluent manner which owed something to both Veronese

Paolo Veronese

Paolo Veronese was an Italian painter of the Renaissance in Venice, famous for paintings such as The Wedding at Cana and The Feast in the House of Levi...

 and Peter Paul Rubens.

He undertook commissions for Versailles

Versailles

Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...

 and Fontainebleau

Fontainebleau

Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...

 between 1724 and 1737, and designed two sets of tapestries for the Gobelins

Gobelins manufactory

The Manufacture des Gobelins is a tapestry factory located in Paris, France, at 42 avenue des Gobelins, near the Les Gobelins métro station in the XIIIe arrondissement...

, each of seven subjects, the Histoire d'Esther (1737–40) and the Histoire de Jason (1743-6).

In 1738 he was appointed Director of the French Academy in Rome

French Academy in Rome

The French Academy in Rome is an Academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio in Rome, Italy.-History:...

 and spent the rest of his life there. De Troy's wife died prematurely, and he lost all of his seven children. Jean François de Troy died on January 26, 1752 in Rome.

Notable works

• A Hunting Meal (1737, Musée du Louvre
  Louvre
  The 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...
  
  , Paris)
• Luncheon with Oysters (1735) This painting included the first time that sparkling champagne was depicted in a painting.
• The Declaration of Love (1735)

External links