Jean-Marc Nattier (1685, Paris, France – 1766, Paris, France) 

Born as the son of portraitist Marc Nattier and miniature painter Marie Courtois, Jean-Marc Nattier inherited artistic talent from an early age. His talent for painting became evident quickly, and by the age of 15, he was already exhibiting at the Paris Salon. He began his career with historical and mythological subjects, but his true mastery emerged in the art of portraiture. 

From the 1730s onward, Nattier developed his signature style: allegorical and mythological portraits in which he portrayed his sitters as goddesses or figures from antiquity. These works combined idealized beauty with courtly representation, making Nattier a sought-after painter at the French court. His depictions of the daughters of Louis XV – presented as Diana or Hebe – are especially renowned. The 1746 portrait of the Marquise de Baglion as Flora is considered one of the highlights of Nattier’s oeuvre, impressively illustrating how he merged mythological allegory and portraiture into a poetic total artwork. 

Jean-Marc Nattier died in 1766 in his native city of Paris. Today, his work is regarded as the epitome of French Rococo and a reflection of an era that celebrated beauty, elegance, and theatricality.