He was born in
Corbeil to a family of modest background. His father was the organist at
Corbeil Cathedral, and could not afford to pay for Jean-Baptiste's studies. At the age of nineteen, he left home and was able to find a position in the studios of
François-André Vincent, at the
École des Beaux-Arts in
Paris. His début at the
Salon came in 1808, and he obtained a first-class gold medal there in 1812, for
Arab Lamenting the Death of His Courser. Many of his commissions were for the government, often in collaboration with other artists. These included decorating the apartments of King
Louis XVIII, the figures of
Prometheus and
Tantalus for the
Musée de Picardie in
Amiens (1819), and several
plafonds at the
Louvre (1822), in what is now known as the "Salle des Bijoux". These feature figures representing Science, Art, Commerce, and War, as well as the four seasons. For his work there, he was named a Knight in the
Legion of Honor in 1823. He also created decorations for two cathedrals, the
Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges, and the
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Nantes. In 1837, he received a personal commission from
Louis-Philippe, to portray him at the
Battle of Valmy. Mauzaisse died in 1844 in Paris. A significant number of his works are in private collections. In addition to those at the Louvre, some may be seen at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. == References ==