Jean-Baptiste Oudry

Key facts

Lived

1686–1755, French

Movement

• Rococo

1. 1708Painted "Lady Mary Josephine Drummond, Gräfin von Castelblanco" aged 22.
2. 1712Painted "Nature morte avec oiseux morts et cerises" aged 26.
3. 1727Painted "Gredinet, Petite Fille and Charlotte, three spaniels from Lou" aged 41.
4. 1730Painted "Louis XV (1710-1774) Stag Hunting in the Forest at Saint-Germain" aged 44.
5. 1742Painted "Still Life with Hare, Duck, Loaf of Bread, Cheese and Flasks of Wine" aged 56.
6. 1744Painted "Bed of tulips and vase of flowers at the foot of a wall" aged 58.

• What is Jean-Baptiste Oudry known for?+

  Jean-Baptiste Oudry is best known as an animal painter. He trained as a portraitist with Nicolas de Largillière, which aided him in his career.
• What is Jean-Baptiste Oudry's most famous work?+

  Finding a single 'most famous' work for Jean-Baptiste Oudry is difficult; different sources offer different answers. He was a prolific artist, and opinions on his best work vary. He is best known for his still-life paintings, particularly those featuring animals. Oudry's skill in depicting textures and capturing the likenesses of animals made him a popular painter for the French aristocracy. Some sources claim his paintings of dogs are his finest achievements. Others suggest that his most celebrated pieces are those he created for the Beauvais manufactory, where he designed cartoons for use in the production of luxury items. Without more specific information, it is impossible to definitively name Oudry's single most famous work.
• What should I know about Jean-Baptiste Oudry's prints?+

  Jean-Baptiste Oudry, though known as an animal painter, also produced prints. He trained as a portraitist, and his skill in figure painting informed his depictions of animals, especially hunting dogs and exotic prey. Oudry entered the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture as a history painter in 1719. However, he specialised in still lifes and hunting scenes, which became popular in the second quarter of the 18th century. Louis XV's enthusiasm for hunting contributed to this interest, as did the chase's associations with feudal rights. Oudry secured royal commissions in the mid-1720s, receiving lodgings and a studio in the Tuileries Palace. He painted portraits of royal dogs for Louis XV's apartments at Compiègne. In 1753, Jean-Baptiste Perronneau portrayed Oudry in a portrait, now in the Louvre, standing before a canvas with hunting dogs. At the Salon of 1753, Oudry exhibited six prints alongside paintings and drawings, in what amounted to a career retrospective. From 1734, Oudry directed the Beauvais factory, designing cartoons for sets that featured the Comedies of Molière, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and the Fables of La Fontaine. He also supplied designs to the Gobelins, including a series of Royal Hunts of Louis XV. Furthermore, Oudry completed 275 drawings for an illustrated edition of La Fontaine’s Fables, published in 1755.
• What style or movement did Jean-Baptiste Oudry belong to?+

  Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755) is considered one of the founding figures of the Rococo style. His career began in portraiture, studying with Nicolas de Largillière. He was admitted to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture as a history painter in 1719; however, he became known for his still lifes and animal paintings, particularly hunting scenes. These hunting scenes gained popularity during the second quarter of the 18th century, as Louis XV was an avid hunter. Oudry received royal commissions from the mid-1720s, including portraits of the royal dogs for Louis XV’s apartments at Compiègne. His protector, Louis Fagon, arranged exhibitions of Oudry's work at Versailles. From 1734, Oudry directed the royal works at Beauvais. He designed cartoons for sets, including the Comedies of Molière and the Fables of La Fontaine, and also supplied designs to the Gobelins. His drawings of animals at the Ménagerie de Versailles and the Château d’Arcueil demonstrate an interest in art and nature, contributing to the development of a picturesque aesthetic during the Rococo period.
• What techniques or materials did Jean-Baptiste Oudry use?+

  Jean-Baptiste Oudry used a variety of techniques and materials in his art. He is known to have made studies of animals in black and white chalk, sometimes with touches of pastel, on blue paper. For example, his drawing *Dead Leopard* (circa 1740) is executed in this manner. Oudry also made more colourful pastel drawings; *Frightened Fox* uses green, brown, yellow, pink and red pastels, in addition to black and white. Oudry's artistic practice involved copying the work of past masters to understand their techniques. He copied Rubens's Medici cycle and, later, Nicolaes Berchem's landscapes. Pieter Boel, an animal painter who worked for the Gobelins manufactory, was an important source for Oudry. Boel's drawings, also executed in black and white chalk with pastel, served as models for Oudry's animal depictions. He also made use of black ink, grey wash, and white gouache.
• What was Jean-Baptiste Oudry known for?+

  Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755) is best known for his paintings of animals, particularly hunting dogs and exotic prey. He initially trained as a portraitist with Nicolas de Largillière; this background informed his approach to animal subjects, translating formal figure-painting conventions into his depictions of animals. Oudry was admitted to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture as a history painter in 1719, but he instead pursued still lifes and hunting scenes. This subgenre grew in popularity during the second quarter of the 18th century, partly because Louis XV was an avid hunter. Oudry received royal commissions from the mid-1720s, including portraits of royal dogs for Louis XV’s apartments at Compiègne. In 1728, he was commissioned to paint Louis XV Hunting the Stag in the Forest of Saint-Germain; this work was displayed in the Cabinet du Roi at Marly. Oudry became director of the royal works at Beauvais in 1734. He designed cartoons for sets featuring the Comedies of Molière, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and the Fables of La Fontaine. He also supplied designs to the Gobelins, receiving a commission in 1733 for a series of Royal Hunts of Louis XV.
• When did Jean-Baptiste Oudry live and work?+

  Jean-Baptiste Oudry was born in Paris in 1686. He initially trained as a portraitist in the studio of Nicolas de Largillière. In 1719, Oudry was received into the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture as a history painter; however, he began to specialise in still lifes and hunting scenes. These became increasingly popular during the second quarter of the 18th century. Oudry began to receive royal commissions in the mid-1720s. These included portraits of royal dogs as overdoors for Louis XV’s apartments at Compiègne. In 1728, he was commissioned to paint Louis XV Hunting the Stag in the Forest of Saint-Germain. In 1734, Oudry became director of the royal Beauvais factory. He also supplied designs to the Gobelins during this period, receiving a commission in 1733 for a series of Royal Hunts of Louis XV; the final painting for this series was delivered in 1746. Oudry died in 1755; on the eve of his death, he was still working in his studio.
• Where can I see Jean-Baptiste Oudry's work?+

  Jean-Baptiste Oudry's art can be viewed in several museums. In France, the Musée du Louvre, in Paris, holds works by Oudry. The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nantes also has pieces. The Musée Condé, in Chantilly, holds De Troy's "The Oyster Lunch". Other European museums include the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, located in Brussels. The Kunsthistorisches Museum, in Vienna, Austria, has works by Giovanni Bellini, Pieter Bruegel, Cellini, Hugo van der Goes, Gossaert, and Sittow. The Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp, Belgium, holds works by Ensor and Fouquet. The Narodni Galerie, in Prague, Czech Republic, has works by Schiele. The Skagens Museum, in Skagen, Denmark, has works by Kroyer. Outside of Europe, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia, and the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto, Canada, also hold collections.
• Where was Jean-Baptiste Oudry from?+

  Jean-Baptiste Oudry was born in Paris in 1686. He became a master in the Académie de Saint-Luc, where his father was the director. Oudry decorated the guild's chapel, located on the rue du Haut-Moulin (near the pont Notre-Dame), with his bust-length Saint Jerome. After working for Louis Fagon on decorative panels for the Château de Voré, Oudry received lodgings and a studio in the Tuileries. By mid-century, Oudry was a pre-eminent figure in the French court. Queen Maria Leszczyńska favoured him; he had sumptuous living quarters in the Louvre. In 1753, Jean-Baptiste Perronneau painted Oudry's portrait. It showed the artist standing before a canvas with hunting dogs. Oudry exhibited twenty-nine works at the Salon of 1753. He died in 1755.
• Who did Jean-Baptiste Oudry influence?+

  Jean-Baptiste Oudry trained as a portraitist with Nicolas de Largillière, whose painterly colourism was influenced by Flemish artists such as Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck. After his apprenticeship, Oudry studied Rubens's Medici cycle in the Palais du Luxembourg. Early on, Oudry was exposed to a range of Northern artists. His hunting scenes recall the combats of Frans Snyders and Jan Fyt. His opulent trophies bring to mind Jan Weenix, his bird portraits Melchior d’Hondecoeter, and his aggressive swans Jan Asselyn. Largillière had Oudry copy Dutch hunting scenes and may have instilled in him an admiration for Nicolaes Berchem. In the early 1720s, Oudry was presented to Louis Fagon and the Duke d’Antin by Jean-Baptiste Massé. Oudry’s training allowed him to translate conventions used in figure painting into his animal subjects, especially hunting dogs and exotic prey. He also worked as a designer of cartoons; he designed sets that featured the Comedies of Molière, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and the Fables of La Fontaine.
• Who influenced Jean-Baptiste Oudry?+

  Jean-Baptiste Oudry initially trained as a portraitist with Nicolas de Largillièrre. He studied with Largillièrre for five years, from approximately 1705 to 1709. Oudry made reference to this training throughout his career. Largillièrre's warm-toned colourism, indebted to Flemish art, particularly Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck, influenced Oudry. After his apprenticeship, Oudry studied Rubens's Medici cycle in the Palais du Luxembourg. Oudry's hunting scenes recall the bloody combats of Frans Snyders and Jan Fyt. His opulent trophies recall Jan Weenix; his bird portraits, Melchior d’Hondecoeter; his aggressive swans, Jan Asselyn. Largillièrre had Oudry copy Dutch hunting scenes and may have instilled in him an admiration for Nicolaes Berchem, whom Oudry would later rank higher than Titian as a model for artists. Pieter Boel, an Antwerp-trained animal painter who worked in Paris for the Gobelins manufactory, was an important source for Oudry’s animal drawings. Boel is thought to have trained with Jan Fyt. Like Desportes and Oudry, Boel studied and drew animals in the royal menageries at Vincennes and Versailles.
• Who was Jean-Baptiste Oudry?+

  Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755) is best known as an animal painter. He trained as a portraitist with Nicolas de Largillière; this training helped him translate figure-painting conventions, such as dramatic poses, to animal subjects, particularly hunting dogs and exotic prey. He was admitted to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture as a history painter in 1719, though he did not work in that genre. He specialised in still lifes and hunting scenes, a popular subgenre during the second quarter of the 18th century. Louis XV was an avid hunter, and the chase was associated with the feudal rights of the nobility, attracting financiers and the newly ennobled. Oudry began receiving royal commissions in the mid-1720s. He was given lodgings and a studio in the Tuileries, and his subjects were primarily portraits of royal dogs. These formed a series of overdoors for Louis XV’s apartments at Compiègne. In 1728, the king commissioned Oudry to paint Louis XV Hunting the Stag in the Forest of Saint-Germain; it was continuously on view in the Cabinet du Roi at Marly. In 1734, Oudry became director of the royal works at Beauvais. He had designed cartoons since the 1720s, executing designs for sets that featured the Comedies of Molière, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and the Fables of La Fontaine. He also supplied designs to the Gobelins, receiving a commission in 1733 for a series of Royal Hunts of Louis XV.