Laurent de La Hyre liked his women close to the court.

The French painter Laurent de La Hyre was born the son of the painter Étienne de La Hyre. It was not his father who had the greatest impact on his work, though, but the art of Georges Lallemont and of the father of famous female Baroque artist Artemisia Gentileschi, Orazio Gentileschi. The training of his father did however leave its mark on Laurent de La Hyre’s work. His father not only taught him how to paint, but also instructed him in the basic principles of mathematics, music, and architecture. These teachings are all visible in La Hyre’s work, for example, in his painting Allegory of Music.

Laurent de La Hyre became the talk of the town when he married a daughter of the personal bodyguard of French King Louis XIII. This marriage made him the favorite topic of conversation of gossipy French aristocrats. New relationships are tough enough as it is, but having the French aristocracy gossip about you takes it to a whole ’nother level. At the time, Laurent de La Hyre was already an established artist. His work was especially valued by religious orders such as the Capuchins. Laurent de La Hyre made his first big commission for them in 1630, which was an altarpiece showing Pope Nicolas V at the Tomb of Saint Francis. After that, he made several other pieces for the order.

When his father died in 1643, Laurent de La Hyre moved to the countryside with the money he inherited. Maybe he felt inspired by the fresh country air because he started to paint a lot of landscapes, often incorporating ancient Roman architecture. A few years later in 1648, Laurent de La Hyre also became one of the twelve founders of the famous French Royal Academy, known in French as Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture.