PUGET, PIERRE (1622-94). A French sculptor, painter, and architect; born proba bly near Marseilles. At the age of fourteen he was apprenticed to a wood-carver named Roman. employed in the decoration of ships, and at about eighteen he went to Florence and soon after to Rome. His great natural ability attracted the attention of Pietro da Co•tona, the famous painter and decorator, whose assistant he became. Bernini and Algardi were then in full career, and Puget was thus from the first subjected to the powerful influence of the Italian Decadence. Beginning with 1650, he appears to have devoted himself almost exclusively to painting pictures for the churches of Marseilles and other cities of Southern France. He was a painter of con siderable ability. In style, of course, he followed the decadent Italian school. hut he also was influenced by the work of Van Dyck. There is record of fifty-six pictures by him, nineteen of which are still in existence, including three por traits of himself.
His first important works in stone are the famous pair of male caryatids (1657) on the por tal of the facade of the Hotel de Ville at Toulon. In this work a familiar Italian motive is treated with supreme originality and power. In 1659 he went to Paris and made three fine figures for the Château of Vaudreuil. in Normandy. He attracted the attention of Fouquet, who en gaged him to assist in the decoration of his new château at Vaux-le-Vicorrte. In 1660 he went to Genoa and made for Fouquet his cele brated statue of "L'Hercule gaulois," now in the Louvre. The next seven years in Genoa were the
most successful of his entire career. For Frances co Sauli he made statues of Saint Ambrose and Saint Sebastian in the Church of Santa Maria di Carignan°, the former being especially fine. He made also a statue of the "Conception" in the Albergo de' Poveri (1664), the great altar of the Church of the Theatines (finished 1670), and probably assisted J. B. Carlone in painting the dome of this church. After 1668 Puget seems to have divided his time between Marseilles, Tou lon, and Genoa. He was continually employed by the French Government in the decoration of ships until the example of the English navy brought about the abandonment of such work. In Mar seilles Puget played a large role in the projected reconstruction of the old city. Several important streets were laid out by him. and he is credited with a large number of buildings which show the influence of Genoese architecture. The reputa tion of Puget rests chiefly upon two powerful works which were executed during this period— the statue of Milo of C'rotona and the great bas relief of Alexander and Diogenes, both in the Louvre.
Consult: Leon Lagrange, Pierre Puget. pein teur, sculpteur, architcete, the leading biography (Paris. 186S) Emeric-David, II istoirr de la sculpture francaise (ib., 1872) ; Rioux-Maillon, "Pierre Puget decorateur." in flerue des arts tkcarat if s, vol. ii.