Jean Tassel

In addition to his father Richard (who was also an architect), his grandfather Pierre, granduncle Adrien and cousin Daniel of Chaumont were all painters.

[1] It is unknown which living Italian painters he may have been in contact with although, judging from his use of lighting effects, he was probably influenced by the recently deceased Caravaggio.

Despite his rural location, he kept track of artistic developments in Paris and shows some influence from the works of Simon Vouet and Laurent de La Hyre.

A traditional story has it that Charles Le Brun invited him to Paris to assist in creating decorations commissioned by King Louis XIV, but Tassel declined, preferring to stay in Langres.

Customers in Dijon were especially numerous, as evidenced by the number of his paintings seized from religious communities there during the Revolution.