Simon Vouet

Vouet was one of the leading painters in Paris during the age of Louis XIII. He was initially a follower of Caravaggio. He later developed a style based on his knowledge of Veronese and more recent trends in north Italian painting.

Born in Paris, the son of a painter, Vouet travelled to England, Constantinople (1611), and then to Rome (1613), where he became one of the most talented of Caravaggio's followers. After his return to Paris in 1627, Vouet received commissions from the court and from leading statesmen, including Cardinal Richelieu. To execute his numerous commissions for large-scale paintings he formed a studio, and so in effect a school of painters trained in his methods, which included making studies from the live model.

Vouet's pupils included Le Sueur and the two most successful French painters of the later 17th century, Charles Le Brun and Mignard.