Jean François de Troy
Jean François de Troy (1679-1752) was a
French roccoco painter and
tapestry designer born on
January 27 1679 in
Paris. He was one of a family of painters, being was the son of the portrait painter
François de Troy (1645-1730) under whom he first studied, and at whose expense he went to
Italy 1699-1706, staying in
Rome, but also visiting many north Italian cities.
His successful career was based initially on large historical and allegorical compositions, such as
Time Unveiling Truth (1733) in the National Gallery,
London, but he is now most highly regarded for his smaller and more spirited scenes of elegant social life. They are among the best of those that rode on the wave of
Watteau's success--indeed
The Alarm, or the Gouvernante Fidèle (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1723) was attributed to Watteau in the
19th century. A versatile artist, he made
tableaux de modes famous, painting histories and
mythologies in a colourful and fluent manner which owed something to both
Veronese and
Rubens.
He undertook commissions for
Versailles and
Fontainebleau between 1724 and 1737, and designed two sets of tapestries for the
Gobelins, 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, and spent the rest of his life there. De Troy's wife died prematurely and he lost of all his seven children. He died on
January 26 1752 in Rome.
A Hunting Meal (1737, Musée du
Louvre, Paris)
Luncheon with Oysters (1735)
The Declaration of Love (1735)
*
Brief bio at the Getty Museum website
