Jean-Pierre Franque

Jean-Pierre Franque, born Francou in Buis-les-Baronnies in 1774 and who died in Quintigny in 1860, was a French painter of portraits, historical events and mythological scenes. His career, spanning much of the first half of the nineteenth century, shows the path from a Neoclassical training in David's studio to commissioned and Salon painting.

Born into a humble family, he and his twin brother Joseph began as shepherds. A local noblewoman noticed their talent, and in 1786 they were sent to Grenoble for their first lessons. They later went to Paris together, where the National Convention granted them financial support in 1792. In 1794 they became pupils of Jacques-Louis David, and Jean-Pierre worked as his assistant and lived in the studio. His involvement with the Secte de Barbus, a group whose meetings were held in his room, led David to dismiss him.

He made his debut at the Salon of 1806, the same year he produced decorations for the Élysée Palace. His most successful Salon exhibit came in 1812, a depiction of the Second Battle of Zurich commissioned by Marshal André Masséna. In the following years he painted mythological and biblical subjects, including a Conversion of Saint Paul (1819), which was reproduced at the Gobelins Manufactory. In the final part of his life he worked almost entirely as a portraitist, notably on a series of figures from the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, now at the Palace of Versailles. His last Salon exhibit was in 1853.