Michel Dorigny (1616-1665) : Vouet en héritage

Indissociable from the King's First Painter Simon Vouet, whose works he reproduced in engravings more than eighty times, Michel Dorigny (1616-1665) was much more than his assistant. After training with Georges Lallemant, he joined Vouet's studio in 1636 and became his principal collaborator before succeeding him in 1649. His style, with its clear, monumental compositions punctuated by strong colours, was inspired by Vouet but revealed a talented and innovative artist.

A leading decorator in Paris during the regency of Anne of Austria and in the royal households, he oversaw the construction of several large private mansions, notably that of Lauzun on the Île Saint-Louis, whose spectacular ensemble is still in place today. He was also responsible for the decoration of several châteaux, such as Colombes (the ceiling is now in the town hall of Port-Marly), and the creation of series such as Les Muses and L'Histoire de Diane. He was entrusted with the decoration of the Palais Mazarin in Paris and, at the height of his career, that of the Queen's Pavilion at the Château de Vincennes, his masterpiece.

This work, both a monograph and a catalogue raisonné, allows us to rediscover the work and eminent position of this painter-engraver, a true workshop master for the decoration of some of the most prestigious buildings of the Grand Siècle.