Nicolas Vleughels (6 December 1668,

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 ...

– 11 December 1737,

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

) was a French painter. In his role as director of the

French Academy in Rome The French Academy in Rome (french: Académie de France à Rome) is an Academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio (Pincian Hill) in Rome, Italy. History The Academy was founded at the Palazzo Capranica in 1 ...

, which he held from 1724 until his death, he played a pivotal role in the interchange between France and Italy in the first third of the 18th century.Martin Eidelberg, ''Vleughels' Circle of Friends in the Early Eighteenth Century''
Created May 1, 2011, accessed 8 March 2016

Life

Nicolas Vleughels was born in Paris as the son of the Flemish painter Philippe Vleughels, a native of Antwerp, who had emigrated to Paris. His father was part of a large community of Flemish artists residing in Paris. Nicolas Vleughels is said to have studied painting with

Pierre Mignard Pierre Mignard or Pierre Mignard I (17 November 1612 – 30 May 1695), called "Mignard le Romain" to distinguish him from his brother Nicolas Mignard, was a French painter known for his religious and mythological scenes and portraits. He was a ...

. He also regularly copied works of Rubens. He only obtained the second prize 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 ...

in 1694 and therefore had to fund his trip to Rome from his own pocket. His finances were not very good at this time. He was likely in Rome from 1703. Here he met the famous Dutch

vedute A ''veduta'' (Italian for "view"; plural ''vedute'') is a highly detailed, usually large-scale painting or, more often, print of a cityscape or some other vista. The painters of ''vedute'' are referred to as ''vedutisti''. Origins This genre ...

painter

Caspar van Wittel Caspar van Wittel or Gaspar van Wittel (born Jasper Adriaensz van Wittel; 1652 or 1653 – September 13, 1736), known in Italian as Gaspar Vanvitelli () or (), was a Dutch painter and draughtsman who had a long career in Rome. He played a p ...

and the sculptor

Pierre Le Gros the Younger Pierre Le Gros (12 April 1666 Paris – 3 May 1719 Rome) was a French sculptor, active almost exclusively in Baroque Rome where he was the pre-eminent sculptor for nearly two decades.Gerhard Bissell, ''Pierre le Gros, 1666–1719'', Reading ...

at whose marriage he acted as witness in 1704.Olivier Michel, ''L’Accademia'', in: ''Le Palais Farnèse'', Rome 1981, Vol. I/2, p. 575; Gerhard Bissell, ''Pierre le Gros, 1666-1719'',

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...

1997, p. 13. In 1707 he travelled to Venice where he became an admirer of the work of

Veronese Veronese is the Italian word denoting someone or something from Verona, Italy and may refer to: * Veronese Riddle, a popular riddle in the Middle Ages * ''Veronese'' (moth), a moth genus in the family Crambidae * Monte Veronese, an Italian chees ...

and some of his works inspired by Veronese were subsequently wrongly attributed to Veronese. It is not known how long he resided there.Bernard Hercenberg, ''Nicolas Vleughels, Peintre et Directeur de l'académie de France à Rome, 1668-1737'',, Paris 1975 Nicolas Vleughels Venus and the Three Graces Tending Cupid

Nicolas Vleughels Venus and the Three Graces Tending Cupid

In 1709 Vleughels returned to Rome. The artist returned to Venice in late 1711 or early 1712. He was involved in the sale of the duke of Mantua’s art collection. Around 1712-13, Vleughels spent much time in

Modena Modena (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language#Dialects, Modenese, Mòdna ; ett, Mutna; la, Mutina) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern I ...

. Around 1715 he returned to Paris where in July 1715 he was received at the

. Back in Paris Vleughels became a close friend of

Jean-Antoine Watteau Jean-Antoine Watteau (, , ; baptised October 10, 1684died July 18, 1721) Alsavailablevia Oxford Art Online (subscription needed). was a French painter and draughtsman whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement, as ...

. He lived with Watteau from about 1716 and shared a home in 1719. In 1724 he was appointed co-director of the Académie de France in Rome. He thus became a pivotal figure in the interchange between French and Italian art and artists in the first third of the eighteenth century.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vleughels, Nicolas 1668 births 1737 deaths Painters from Paris 17th-century French painters French male painters 18th-century French painters French people of Flemish descent 18th-century French male artists

Life

References

Further reading

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