MILLET, Francisque

Jean François Millet, called Francisque, worked in Paris from 1659, painting landscapes in the style of Gaspard Dughet. He was received into the French Academy in Paris in 1763, after having worked in the Low Countries and in England. He can lay claim to being the best interpreter of Nicolas Poussin’s classical landscapes, retaining the formality and dignity of his models without loss of subtlety.

Like those of Gaspard Dughet, his pictures are largely attributions on purely stylistic grounds, there being no sure documentation. He had relatives of the same name, and it is not clear what is by him: examples of what is associated with his name are in Birmingham, London, Toledo (Ohio) and York. Three etchings are also now attributed to him.

Imaginary Landscape

Under Louis XIV, the two main landscape painter of the time were Pierre Patel and Francisque Millet. They were largely derivative in their styles, but this was the secret of their success. Both of them are relatively little known today.

Francisque Millet was more talented than Patel, though his present reputation is also obscure. Flemish in origin like Philippe de Champaigne, he worked mainly in Paris, specializing in classical landscapes inspired by the works of Dughet and Poussin. Millet had imagination and good powers of observation, but he never painted anything without a classical format. Millet preferred an intense blue for his landscapes (as did Poussin), which gives then an unnatural air.

The ideal landscape in Budapest characterizes well the style of this French painter of Flemish origin.

Imaginary Landscape

Landscape with Christ and His Disciples