Did You Know? (the King's Painter)

At a certain period, the royal families of the various European countries surrounded themselves with artists of recognized talent, or with great potential, to whom they trusted the creation of works to decorate their palaces and residences, as well as the making of portraits.

In France, during the Ancien Régime, they appointed the King's painters, generally graduates of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, a state institution whose mission was to train artists according to its own conventions.

Among the most famous artists having held the post as King's Painter, we find Nicolas Poussin and Alexandre-François Desportes, in France, and Diego Velázquez, in Spain.