Sébastien Bourdon

Sébastien Bourdon could paint in almost any manner, and that versatility is the key to his work. He painted small peasant scenes in the style of the Roman Bamboccianti, classical landscapes after Poussin, mythologies, altarpieces and polished portraits, adapting his style to each subject.

Born in Montpellier in 1616, he studied in Rome from 1636 to 1638 and then worked in Paris, where in 1648 he was one of the founders of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. In 1652 Queen Christina of Sweden made him her first court painter, and in Stockholm he painted Christina and her circle, including Countess Ebba Sparre, her close companion. He returned to France and died in Paris in 1671. His best-known work, The Crucifixion of Saint Peter, was painted for Notre-Dame. An exhibition at the Musée Fabre in Montpellier in 2000 did much to restore his reputation.

Compare Bacchus and Ceres with Nymphs and Satyrs with his portraits to see how widely he ranged.