COYPEL, NOËL-NICOLAS

1690 Paris 1734

Noël-Nicolas Coypel was the son of the painter Noël Coypel (1628–1707) and half-brother of Antoine Coypel (1661–1722), who was almost thirty years older. His pictorial themes often derive from ancient mythology. In art history, he is often regarded as the most gifted painter of the Coypel family of artists, even though he is the least known; this is due not least to his early death due to illness and only a brief period of artistic maturity and commercial success (from 1725 to about 1728). He was Peintre du Roi (painter to the king), and his pupils included Jean Siméon Chardin (1699–1779).