Jacques-Augustin-Catherine Pajou (27 August 1766 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

– 28 November 1828 in Paris) was a French painter in the Classical style.

Biography

His father was the sculptor,

Augustin Pajou Augustin Pajou (; 19 September 1730 – 8 May 1809) was a French sculpture, sculptor, born in Paris. At eighteen he won the Prix de Rome, and at thirty exhibited his ''Pluton tenant Cerbère enchaîné'' (now in the Louvre). Selected works Paj ...

. Nothing is known of his childhood. In 1784, at the age of eighteen, he became a student at the

Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture The Académie royale de peinture et de 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 abolished in 1793 during the French Revolution. I ...

. Four attempts to win 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 ...

were unsuccessful. In 1792, he became a member of the Compagnie des arts de Paris, organized by the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, alongside the painter

Louis-François Lejeune Louis-François, Baron Lejeune (3 February 1775 in Strasbourg – 29 February 1848) was a French general, Painting, painter, and lithographer. His memoirs have frequently been republished and his name is engraved on the Arc de Triomphe. Life H ...

as well as the future economist,

Jean-Baptiste Say Jean-Baptiste () is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following: Persons * Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was K ...

. While stationed with the regular army in Sedan, he wrote numerous letters to his friend,

François Gérard François Pascal Simon Gérard (, 4 May 1770 – 11 January 1837), titled as Baron Gérard in 1809, was a French painter. He was born in Rome, where his father occupied a post in the house of the French ambassador, and his mother was Italian. A ...

. which express his initial enthusiasm, but gradually turn to boredom, disillusionment and physical exhaustion. After being demobilized, he participated in creating the "Commune générale des arts", an institution designed to replace the Académie Royale. He served as Secretary for the Commune's President,

Joseph-Marie Vien Joseph-Marie Vien (sometimes anglicised as Joseph-Mary Wien; 18 June 1716 – 27 March 1809) was a French painter. He was the last holder of the post of Premier peintre du Roi, serving from 1789 to 1791. Biography He was born in Montpellier. P ...

. In 1795, he married Marie-Marguerite Thibault (1764–1827). Under the First Empire, he was commissioned to paint a portrait of Maréchal

Louis-Alexandre Berthier Louis-Alexandre Berthier, prince de Neuchâtel et Valangin, prince de Wagram (; 20 November 1753 – 1 June 1815) was a French military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was twice Minister of Wa ...

, which may still be seen at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

. In 1812, he was awarded a gold medal for his depiction of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

offering clemency to the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

s who had taken refuge in Spain. In 1811, at the urging of François-Guillaume Ménageot, who had become apprised of the precarious financial situation facing the sculptor

David d'Angers Pierre-Jean David (12 March 1788 – 4 January 1856) was a French sculptor, medalist and active freemason.Initiated in ""Le Père de famille"" Lodge in Angers He adopted the name David d'Angers, following his entry into the studio of the painter ...

, Pajou wrote a letter to the mayor of

Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...

, demanding that material aid be given to the sculptor. The aid was granted and was considered a lifesaver for d'Angers, who went on to win the Prix de Rome for sculpture and spend several years at the

French Academy in Rome The French Academy in 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 1666 by Louis XIV under the dire ...

. In 1814, he painted three tableaux celebrating the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

. They were displayed at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

and it is possible they were seen by Napoleon. He resigned from most of the associations of which he was a member in 1823, citing poor health. In a letter from that period, he says that he was "cruelly tormented for a year by a continual tremor." He died in 1828 and was interred at the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise. His son, also became a well-known painter.

Sources

* Baron Gérard, ''Lettres autographes adressées au baron François Gérard publiées par le baron Gérard, son neveu'', Paris, 1883 * Philippe Nusbaumer, ''Jacques-Augustin-Catherine Pajou, peintre d'histoire et de portraits'', Le Pecq-sur-Seine, 1997 * Philippe Nusbaumer, "Le Peintre Jacques Pajou, fils du sculpteur. De la difficulté de se faire un prénom", in: ''Augustin Pajou et ses contemporains'', La Documentation française, 1999

External links

Musée Magnin de Dijon

La Tribune de l'art, acquisition du tableau '' Portrait de famille''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pajou, Jacques Augustin Catherine 1766 births 1828 deaths 18th-century French painters French male painters 19th-century French painters Painters from Paris 19th-century French male artists 18th-century French male artists