François Perrier

called Bourguignon, 1594 Pontarlier – 1649 Paris

Having been trained first by his father and then by Horace Le Blanc in Lyon, the history painter and etcher François Perrier, known as Bourguignon, worked for Giovanni Lanfranco in Rome between 1625 and 1627. After returning to France he was employed as an assistant in Simon Vouet’s studio and helped him to carry out numerous decoration projects. Perrier gradually came to excel as an independent master and was soon in very great demand as a painter. He derived inspiration from the works of Nicolas Poussin but his style was also influenced by Pietro da Cortona. Charles Le Brun and Charles-Alphonse Dufresnoy were among Perrier’s students. After his death Perrier came to be known primarily as an etcher. The artist experimented with various printing techniques, including etchings printed from two plates on colored paper. His extensive graphic oeuvre comprises mainly reproductive prints on religious themes; his works are generally signed “Franciscus Perrier Burgund(us)”.