Pierre-Jacques Cazes (1676 – 25 June 1754) was a French painter who specialized in religious and mythological subjects. He also taught several other French artists including

François Boucher François Boucher ( , ; ; 29 September 1703 – 30 May 1770) was a French painter, draughtsman and etcher, who worked in the Rococo style. Boucher is known for his idyllic and voluptuous paintings on classical themes, decorative allegories ...

and Jean-Siméon Chardin.

Biography

Cazes was born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1676 to an officer and protégé of the

Marquis de Louvois A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...

. At the behest of his father, Cazes was first tutored by an otherwise unknown artist named Ferou, concierge of the

Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture The Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (; en, "Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture") was founded in 1648 in Paris, France. It was the premier art institution of France during the latter part of the Ancien Régime until it was abol ...

. He was later instructed by the painters

René-Antoine Houasse René-Antoine Houasse (c. 1645–1710) was a decorative French painter. He was a pupil of Charles Le Brun, under whose direction he worked at the Manufacture des Gobelins, and with whom he worked on the decoration of the Château de Versailles. ...

and Bon Boullogne. Cazes competed in the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

competition of 1698 with ''Joseph’s Cup Found in Benjamin’s Belongings'', but came in second place. He won the next year with ''Vision of Jacob in Egypt'', but chose not to go to Rome and instead remain in Paris. He was received as an academician at the Académie Royale in 1703 with a ''Triumph of Hercules over Achelous''. Cazes would later become its Director in 1744. He worked in the ''

Galerie d'Apollon The Galerie d'Apollon is a large and iconic room of the Louvre Palace, on the first (upper) floor of a wing known as the Petite Galerie. Its current setup was first designed in the 1660s. It has been part of the Louvre Museum since the 1790s, was ...

'' in the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

in 1727 and produced a large number of religious paintings for churches in

and

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

. His historical painting is in the same academic tradition as the French painters

Charles Le Brun Charles Le Brun (baptised 24 February 1619 – 12 February 1690) was a French painter, physiognomist, art theorist, and a director of several art schools of his time. As court painter to Louis XIV, who declared him "the greatest French artist of ...

and Charles de Lafosse. He also painted paintings with mythological motifs and

genre scenes Genre art is the pictorial representation in any of various media of scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, work, and street scenes. Such representations (also called genre works, ...

. A portrait the artist wearing a wig and holding a portfolio was presented to the ''Académie Royale'' in 1734 by Chardin's friend

Joseph Aved Jacques-André-Joseph Aved (12 January 1702 – 4 March 1766), also called le Camelot (''The Hawker'') and Avet le Batave (''The Dutch Avet''), was a French painter of the 18th century and one of the main French Rococo portraitists. He pain ...

Selected works

* ''Joseph’s Cup Found in Benjamin’s Belongings'' (1698) – Earned Cazes second place at the 1698 Prix de Rome * ''Vision of Jacob in Egypt'' (1699) – Earned Cazes first place at the 1699 Prix de Rome, now at the

Beaux-Arts de Paris The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French ''grande école'' whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Sciences ...

* ''Triumph of Hercules over Achelous'' (1703) – Cazes's reception piece for the Académie Royale, now lost * ''St. Cecilia'' (1704) – Exhibited at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

of 1704, now at the Church of Saint-Médard, Paris * ''Le Christ et la Cananéenne'' (1706) – Produced for the May of 1706, now at the

Musée des beaux-arts d'Arras The Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Arras is located in the old Abbey of St. Vaast in Arras, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. Collection Paintings The museum's collection includes paintings of the Flemish and Dutch schools including Jehan Belleg ...

* ''Saint Pierre ressuscitant Tabithe'' (1720) – Produced for the May of 1720 for

Saint-Germain-des-Prés Saint-Germain-des-Prés () is one of the four administrative quarters of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Its official borders are the River Seine on the north ...

, now lost. A reduction resides at * ''The Swing'' (1732) – The Louvre, Paris * ''Venus, Eros and Anteros'' –

Crocker Art Museum The Crocker Art Museum is the oldest art museum in the Western United States, located in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1885, the museum holds one of the premier collections of Californian art. The collection includes American works dating f ...

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

* ''Saint Francis receiving the stigmata –'' Church of Saint-Michel-de-Sillery,

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

Gallery (partial)

File:Cazes La Vision de Jacob.JPG, ''Vision of Jacob in Egypt'' (1699) File:Cazes Christ guérissant l'hémorroïsse Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris.jpg, ''Le Christ et la Cananéenne'' (1706; reduction of original that hung in Notre Dame) File:Cazes - SAINT PIERRE RESSUSCITANT TABITHE.jpg, ''St. Peter raising Tabitha'' (1720; reduction of original that hung in Saint-Germain-des-Prés) File:Cazes, Pierre-Jacques - The Swing - 1732.jpg, ''The Swing'' (1732) File:Saint Francois recevant les stigmates - Pierre-Jacques Cazes.jpg, ''Saint Francis receiving the stigmata''

References

17th-century French painters French male painters 18th-century French painters Prix de Rome for painting 1676 births 1754 deaths 18th-century French male artists Members of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture {{France-painter-17thC-stub