Joseph Ignace François PARROCEL (1704-1781) - Lot 20

Joseph Ignace François PARROCEL (1704-1781) Putti playing around a sleeping putto Oil on Canvas Signed lower center J. I. PARROCEL 1778. 96 x 73cm The artist's identity has long been confused by his many first names. Although listed as Joseph-François in his baptismal and death certificates, he was also registered as Pierre-Ignace, probably borrowed from a brother who died in infancy, or inspired by the first names of his father and godfather. This variety of names led some historians to believe in the existence of two distinct artists, before archival documents confirmed that they were indeed one and the same person. The artist received his initial training in his father's studio, then continued his apprenticeship in Rome in 1717. After a period of obscurity, he reappeared at the Académie royale de Paris, where he distinguished himself by winning the second Grand Prix de Rome in 1731 and 1732. He then stayed in Rome as a boarder at the Académie de France. After spending some time in the provinces, notably Strasbourg and Lyon, he settled permanently in Paris in 1746. His career took off. Accepted by the Académie de Saint-Luc in 1751, he was accepted as a history painter by the Académie royale in 1753, and exhibited regularly at the Salon from 1755 until his death in 1781. His work focused mainly on large-scale theatrical decorations, notably for the Opéra and Comédie-Française, and for various private mansions.