He was the older brother of Pierre Mignard, who became one of the leading French painters of the 17th century and a rival of Charles Le Brun.

[3] Nicolas Mignard studied painting with a local master of Troyes whose identity is unknown.

Mignard came back to Avignon in 1636, after having executed several series of etchings in Rome, principally after the works of Annibale Carracci.

As he spent most of his life in Avignon he was somewhat overshadowed by his younger brother Pierre, who had made a career in Paris.

Many of the works of Nicolas that were thus confiscated were subsequently erroneously attributed to his brother Pierre.