Pierre Monier or Mosnier (17 May 1641 – 29 December 1703) was a French painter and

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

. Mosnier was born in

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the mos ...

. His father Jean Monier was also painter, and was his first teacher. In 1664, he won the inaugural

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 ...

for his painting ''la Conquête de la Toison d’Or'' ("The Conquest of the Golden Fleece"). In 1665, he travelled to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to continue his studies at the

School of Rome In music history, the Roman School was a group of composers of predominantly church music, in Rome, during the 16th and 17th centuries, therefore spanning the late Renaissance and early Baroque eras. The term also refers to the music they produ ...

. He moved back and took up residence 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 ...

, where he fulfilled a number of commissions, primarily religious-themed works for churches, such as for the

Saint-Sulpice, Paris The Church of Saint-Sulpice () is a Catholic church in Paris, France, on the east side of Place Saint-Sulpice, in the 6th arrondissement. Only slightly smaller than Notre-Dame and Saint-Eustache, it is the third largest church in the city. ...

. On 6 October 1674, he accepted as an Academician for his painting ''Hercule se préparant à la défense de la ville de Thèbes, sa patrie, menacée par les Minyens, et recevant d’Apollon des flèches, de Mercure une épée et de Vulcain une cuirasse''. Mosnier later taught at the

Académie de peinture et de sculpture An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the g ...

. In 1698, he wrote and published a series of three books on art: ''History of the Arts Associated with Drawing''. Monier continued to paint until his death in 1703. He died in Paris.

Selected works

* 1664: ''La Conquête de la Toison d’Or'' * 1665: ''le Parlement assemblé afin de juger un procès pour le marquis de Locmaviaker'' * 1674: ''Hercule se préparant à la défense de la ville de Thèbes, sa patrie, menacée par les Minyens, et recevant d’Apollon des flèches, de Mercure une épée et de Vulcain une cuirasse'' * 1698: ''Histoire des arts qui ont raport au dessein'' (Paris: Pierre Giffart
Digitization of first edition on Gallica
* 1699: ''Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ, entouré de ses apôtres, appelle à lui les petits enfants'' Monier22

References

External links

* 1641 births 1703 deaths People from Blois Prix de Rome for painting 17th-century French painters 18th-century French painters 18th-century French male artists 17th-century French writers French art historians Members of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture {{France-painter-17thC-stub