Noël Hallé

1711–1781, Paris

The painter Noël Hallé was one of the outstanding French artists during the period of Louis XV. Prolific in his work, he excelled in the depiction of religious, mythological and profane themes and, as a secondary activity, supplied designs for the tapestry manufactory of which he was appointed chief inspector in 1770. In 1736 Hallé won the coveted Prix de Rome and in late 1737 travelled to the city, living and working there until 1744. On his return to Paris he became an agrée of the Academy and participated for the first time in the Salon at the Louvre, where he exhibited regularly until 1779. Hallé produced a small corpus of rare prints, most of which date to the years he spent in Rome. His preferred medium of expression was etching, although this was clearly an artistic sideline, since the sheets he produced were not intended for sale and evidently only printed in small editions.