Nicolas Colombel

He went to Rome when quite young, and remained there until 1692, forming his style by a study of the works of Raphael and Nicolas Poussin.

[1] The Louvre possesses the Mars and Rhea Sylvia, which he painted for his reception to the Academy,[3] and a work representing the Saint Hyacinth Saving the Statue of the Virgin from the Enemies of the Name of Christ .

[1] Sir Edmund Head, writing in 1848, described Colombel as "in some sense a master who stood alone among his contemporaries in dignity of feeling, and in the solid character of his art.

"[3] More recently, Didier Rykner has described his work as "generally easy to recognise", adding "[Colombel] does indeed have his own style, consisting in a gentle Classicism, at times a bit affected, a fondness for subtle and porcelain-like colors, deep blues (close to Sassoferrato).

"[2] A considerable number of paintings have been attributed to Colombel in recent years, including an altarpiece, Saint Dominic Presenting the Dominican Order to Christ, in the collection of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Grenoble, identified in 2000.