Jean-Baptiste Le Prince

Le Prince's early paintings in both theme and style are comparable to his master's rococo techniques. He was the half-brother of French author Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. In 1758, Le Prince journeyed to Russia to work for Catherine the Great at the Imperial Palace, St. Petersburg, under Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. He remained in Russia for five years and also travelled extensively throughout Finland, Lithuania, and even Siberia. When Le Prince returned to Paris in December 1763, he brought with him an extensive collection of drawings which he employed as the basis for a number of fine paintings and etchings. Le Prince was elected a full member of the Académie de peinture et de sculpture in 1765. Le Prince's graphic art of Russia and its peoples is significant in that he based his compositions entirely upon his own designs, lending a much more realistic portrayal to his views than other eighteenth century contemporaries. He is also credited with being the first artist (in 1768) to introduce aquatint into his etched and engraved plates. He may even have been the inventor of aquatint, the tonal graphic art that would later be so skillfully used by such masters as Goya, Louis-Philibert Debucourt, Delacroix and Thomas Rowlandson.

Training under François Boucher is recorded. Charles Clément Bervic, Jean Baptiste Hilaire and Tavernier de Jonquières are recorded as having studied under Jean-Baptiste Le Prince. The recorded working language is French. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are portrait. Works named in the authority record are The Cabak, a Tavern outside of Moscow. Work by Jean-Baptiste Le Prince is recorded in the collections of Städel Museum, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, Finnish National Gallery and J. Paul Getty Museum.

• Name — Jean-Baptiste Prince • Born — 17 September 1734 • Birthplace — Metz, France • Died — 30 September 1781 • Place of death — Saint-Denis-du-Port, France • Illustration — Jean-Baptiste Le Prince, The Russian Cradle, oil on canvas, c. 1764–1765, 23 × 29 in. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California

The authorities additionally record the headings Jean Le Prince, Jean Baptiste Leprince, Jean-Baptiste LePrince, Jean Baptiste Le Prince and Jean-Baptiste le Prince. His recorded language was French. He was the child of Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Leprince.