Jean-Michel Picart

Little is known about the life of the artist. He was likely born in Antwerp around the year 1600.^[2] The original name of the artist has not been preserved. He adopted a French form of his Flemish name after he moved to France. There is no record of his registration with the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke.^[5]

Jean-Michel Picart left Antwerp and moved to Paris where he is recorded from the 1630s. He was an active member of the community of painters of Flemish origin who had settled in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. He was active as a flower painter and enjoyed the patronage of Gaston Henri de Bourbon, the nominal bishop of Metz and later Duke of Verneuil.^[6] By 1638, Picart had become one of the most prominent figures among the community of still life painters from Flanders and Holland who had settled in Paris.^[7] In 1640, Picart was admitted to the Académie de Saint-Luc (Academy of Saint Luke), the guild of painters and sculptors of Paris.^[6]

The French chronicler André Félibien described Picart in his 1666-8 treatise Entretiens sur les vies et sur les ouvrages des plus excellents peintres anciens et modernes as one of the important artists of his time who ran a workshop of painter copyists hailing mostly from Flanders or the Dutch Republic.^[8] Picart was renowned for his activity as a merchant of original works and copies. He dealt in Dutch and Flemish landscapes, hunting scenes by Frans Snyders and small religious compositions.^[6] As an art dealer he was also sought out for his specialist expertise. For instance, on the occasion of the death of Henrietta of England he was called upon as an expert to assess her art collection.^[9] As an art dealer he remained in contact with Antwerp art dealers such as Matthijs Musson.^[10] Correspondence between the two art dealers shows that Picart would inform Musson of prevailing preferences in the Paris art market and Musson would then organise for the making of the pictures that fit with those preferences.^[4]

Jean-Michel Picart married and became widowed three times. His first wife was Marie Marguillier with whom he had a son in 1636. He married a second time on 15 November 1640 to Jeanne Cholin, who was buried on 15 June 1644. A daughter was born from this union.^[11] His last marriage with Marie Richard contracted in 1645 lasted for 35 years and produced four daughters and two sons.^[11][12] The documents regarding his civil status on the occasion of his marriages or those of his relatives give an insight into the life of the artist. Starting from his second marriage, he built strong relationships with the local stonecutters, jewellers and engravers of fine stones. He was the father-in-law of the portraitist Jacques d'Agar, who had studied with the Flemish painter Jacob Ferdinand Voet and later became portrait painter to the court of Denmark.^[9] Another daughter married the miniature painter Sylvain Bonnet in 1672.^[13] The Flemish painter Philippe de Champaigne and the French flower painter Nicolas Baudesson as well as magistrates and officers appear in various notarial deeds relating to Picart. This confirms the social rise of the artist.^[9]

In 1651, Picart became a member of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture. Later he was named by king Louis XIV 'Peintre du Roy' (Painter to the King) in 1671, then 'peintre ordinaire du roi' (ordinary painter to the king) from 1679 to 1682.^[14] Picart painted still lifes for the king of which at least seven were on display at the Palace of Versailles and another eight at the king's smaller retreat Château de Marly.^[8]

The artist was active in Paris until his death on 24 November 1682.^[2]