Nicolas Ruyssen

Nicolas Joseph Ruyssen (17 March 1757 – 7 May 1826) was a French painter and the master draughtsman of the royal princesses of England under the reign of King George III.

[1][2] Introduced to the entourage of the Duke Anne Louis Alexandre de Montmorency,[3][4] the young artist was indebted to his distinguished patron for a long stay in Paris.

[2][5][6] Returning to Belgium in June 1791, he first settled with his friend, the Prince de la Basèque, in Reningelst on the Belgian border.

Most of the large-format works painted by Ruyssen were destroyed in the fire at his patrons' castle in Reningelst on 6 September 1793 on the orders of General Dominique Vandamme.

[10] In 1801, he published drawings based on the Raphael cartoons owned by the Windsor family in collaboration with engraver Anthony Cardon.

[1] In his will, Ruyssen included a clause requiring the monks to teach Flemish, French and the principles of religion to the children of the neighbourhood.