Pierre Mignard was born at
Troyes in 1612, the son of Pierre Mignard and Marie Gallois. He came from a family of artisans. He was the younger brother of
Nicolas, who became a painter and etcher who was mainly active in
Avignon and was known as Mignard d'Avignon. Nicolas had two sons,
Paul who became a painter and etcher and
Pierre who became a painter and architect. To distinguish his
nephew Pierre from his uncle, the nephew was called "Pierre II" or "Le Chevalier". Pierre Mignard trained in Bourges with the Mannerist painter Jean Boucher. He later spent time making copies of the Mannerist works in the château of
Fontainebleau. He then studied for a period in the studio of
Simon Vouet. Mignard left for Rome in 1635 where he would stay about 22 years. It is because of his long residence in Rome that he got the nickname 'Mignard le Romaine'. '' His reputation was such that he was summoned to
Paris in 1657, probably by
Cardinal Mazarin. He travelled back via Avignon where his brother Nicolas worked. Here he met the dramatist Molière, who became a close friend and of whom he painted several portraits. In Paris he became a popular portrait painter. He found favor with King
Louis XIV who sat for many portraits. Mignard became a rival of the leading French painter of that time and first painter to the King,
Charles Le Brun. His brother Nicolas and his nephew Paul, who was his pupil, had chosen the side of Le Brun against Mignard, which led to a break in their relationship. Mignard died five years later in 1695 in Paris as he was about to begin work on the cupola of
Les Invalides. ==Work==