Jean-Baptiste van Loo (14 January 1684 – 19 December 1745) was a French subject and portrait painter.
Life and career
He was born in
Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
, and was instructed in art by his father
Louis-Abraham van Loo
Louis-Abraham van Loo (; 1653 in Amsterdam – 1712 in Nice), known as just Abraham van Loo until his conversion to Catholicism in 1681 and also known as Louis or Ludovic van Loo, was a baroque mannerist painter and a member of the van Loo dynast ...
, son of
Jacob van Loo
Jacob van Loo (1614 – 26 November 1670) was a painter of the Dutch Golden Age, chiefly active in Amsterdam and, after 1660, in Paris. Van Loo is known for his conversational groupings; particularly his mythological and biblical scenes general ...
. Having at an early age executed several pictures for the decoration of the church and public buildings at Aix, he was employed on similar work at Toulon, which he was obliged to leave during the siege of 1707.
He was patronized by the prince of Carignan, who sent him to Rome, where he studied under
Benedetto Luti
Benedetto Luti (17 November 1666 – 17 June 1724) was an Italian painter.
Early life
Luti was born in Florence on 17 November 1666.
Career
In 1691, he moved to Rome, where he was patronized by Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, an en ...
. He was much employed painting for churches in Rome, and in particular executed a greatly praised ''Scourging of Christ'' for the church of Santa Maria in Monticelli. At Turin he painted Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy and several members of his court. Then, moving to Paris, where he was elected a member of the ''Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture'', he executed various altar-pieces and restored the works of Francesco Primaticcio at
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 ...
. He also painted portraits of aristocrats living in or visiting Paris, including a young William Murray who later went on to be a friend and regular client as the 1st Lord Mansfield.
In 1737 he went to England, where he attracted attention by his portrait of Colley Cibber and of
Owen McSwiny
Owen Swiny (Also spelled McSwiny, Swiney, MacSwiny or MacSwinny) (1676, near Enniscorthy, Ireland – 2 October 1754) was an Irish theatre impresario and art dealer active in London known for his work in popularising Italian opera in London ...
, the theatrical manager; the latter, like many other of van Loo's works, was engraved in mezzotint by
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leader ...
, whose portrait by van Loo in his robes as
chancellor of the exchequer
The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...
is in the
National Portrait Gallery, London
The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was arguably the first national public gallery dedicated to portraits in the world when it ...
, and the prince and princess of Wales. He did not, however, practise long in England, because of his failing health; he retired to Paris in 1742, and afterwards to Aix-en-Provence, where he died on 19 December 1745. His likenesses were striking and faithful, but seldom flattering, and his heads are forcible in coloring.
Selected works
File:Vanloo, Triumph of Galatea.jpg, ''The Triumph of Galatea'', 1720 ( Hermitage Museum).
File:Jean-Baptiste Van Loo - Louis XV, roi de France et de Navarre (1710-1774) - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Louis XV, King of France and Navarre'', c. 1723 (
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
).
File:Van Loo - Louis XV remettant le cordon de l'ordre du Saint-Esprit au comte de Clermont dans la chapelle de Versailles, 3 juin 1724.jpg, ''Louis XV Conferring the Order of the Holy Spirit on the Count de Clermont'', 1730 (Palace of Versailles).
File:Vanloo.jpg, ''Margaret ('Peg') Woffington, Actress'', c. 1738 ( Victoria & Albert Museum).
See also
* His younger brother,
Charles-André van Loo
Carle or Charles-André van Loo (; 15 February 1705 – 15 July 1765) was a French painter, son of the painter Louis-Abraham van Loo, a younger brother of Jean-Baptiste van Loo and grandson of Jacob van Loo. He was the most famous member of a su ...
(1705–1765), was also a painter.
* Two of his sons were notable painters, Louis-Michel van Loo (1707–1771) and
Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo
Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo (25 August 1719 – 15 November 1795) was a French painter of allegory, allegorical scenes and portraits.
He studied under his father, the painter Jean-Baptiste van Loo, at Turin and Rome, where in 1738 he ...
(1719–1795).
* John Giles Eccardt, one of his apprentices, also became a noted portrait painter in Britain.