Sébastien Bourdon (1616 - 1671)

Bourdon led a restless and extremely varied life. He was born in Montpellier, in southern France, in 1616, and later taken to Paris by his uncle, to train with Barthélemy. At the age of 14 he moved on to Bordeaux and later to Toulouse, but he received no commissions there. He then enlisted in the army, but was dismissed after a short time, and in 1634 he arrived penniless in Rome. As a Huguenot, Bourdon felt persecuted in the Eternal City and he returned to Paris in 1637. There he continued his eclectic work, painting landscapes with hunting and battle scenes in the style of the Bamboccianti. In 1648, he was one of the founders of the Académie Royale, where he also taught and rose to the position of rector in 1655. In 1652 he was employed for a short time as court artist to Queen Christina of Sweden (1626–1689). During his final years he had commissions in plenty.

Author: Habersatter Thomas

Literature: DUCKE Astrid, HABERSATTER Thomas, OEHRING Erika: Masterworks. Residenzgalerie Salzburg. Salzburg 2015, S. 118