MIGNARD, PIERRE ( 1012-95). A French portrait and historical painter, a brother of Nicholas Miguard. Ito was born at Troyes, studied under Jean Boucher in Bourges and Simon Vona in Paris, and resided for twenty two years in Italy. where he was much in fluenced hy the works of Annibale Carraeci. At Home lie painted the portraits of Pope Alexander Vii. and many of the Roman no bility. and at Venice many Venetian nobles. In 1057 he was summoned by Louis XIV. to Paris, where he painted the King's portrait and that of Cardinal Mazarin. In 1664 lie deco rated the cupola of the Church of Val-de-Cr:lee, l'aris, where he represented a colossal paradise with two hundred fignres, some of which are three times the size of life. This is the most ambitious fresco decoration in France, but the color has suffered much from time. Ile also painted decorations in the palace of Versailles.
He was famous in Paris as the leader of the op position against Le Brun and the Academy, but upon the letter's death in 1690 he fell heir In all his positions. Ile was made director of the Go belins and was 1111'010r of the Academy. lle died its Pori4. May 30, 16115.
Mignard was time leading French portrait paint er of the seventeenth cent 11 is other pictures are rather cold and eonventional, hut his coheir jog, derived from the Venetians, is good. The Louvre contains a number of his works, includ ing the portrait of Madame de Slaintenon. "Saint Cecilia," and "Saint Luke Painting the Virgin." Others are in the galleries of Versailles, Madrid, Saint Petersburg, Vienna, Berlin, London, and Florence. Consult Lebrun-Dalbanne, Etude site Pierre Mignard (Paris, 1878).