Jean-Baptiste PILLEMENT (1728 - i1808) Fishermen near a waterfall

Jean-Baptiste PILLEMENT (1728, Lyon - id., 1808) - Fishermen near a waterfall (1780)

Although born in Lyon, Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Pillement may well have belonged to the Pillement family of Rouen. Few French painters of this period traveled as much as he did. He first came to Paris to complete his studies
studies, then worked at the Gobelins factory for several years. He visited Poland and spent some time there as court painter to King Stanislas Augustus. Among other works, he decorated a room in the king's palace in the Chinese style and produced a large number of landscapes, mainly in gouache. He moved to Vienna, where he worked, among others, for the Prince of Lichtenstein, who bought 10 of his works. One of his landscapes, Retour au village, was engraved by Godefroy in Vienna.

Pillement was probably in Vienna in 1767, since the birth of his son Victor is recorded there that year, but he seems to have lived in England around 1755, where his talents were apparently much admired. He exhibited his work at the Society of Artists and the Free Society between 1760 and 1780, and in 1779, in London, he caused a sensation by announcing that, owing to his state of health, he was obliged to return to Avignon. Pillement also made several visits to Portugal, his last to Lisbon in 1780, possibly from London. In the meantime, he had not forgotten Paris. He exhibited at the Salon of 1776. The Almanach des Artistes of 1777 indicates that he was domiciled in London or Paris with Basan. He was also represented at the Salon de la Correspondance in 1782 by two gouaches of landscapes with figures, animals and a waterfall and, in 1783, by two gouaches of Animals. Pillement had acquired the title not only of painter to the King of Poland, but also of painter to Queen Marie-Antoinette. He retired to Lyon, where he died in poverty.

In 1767, Leviez, who had collected all the plates engraved after Pillement's work, published them under the title: Œuvres de Jean Pillement, célèbre peintre et décorateur, consisting of 200 pieces, some engraved by the artist himself, others by Canot, Ravenet, Masson, Wallet and other skilled engravers.