Noël Coypel Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Noël Coypel
Portrait of Coypel from 1677 by Academy member Florent de La Mare-Richart
Born	(1628-12-25)25 December 1628 Paris, France
Died	24 December 1707(1707-12-24) (aged 78) Paris, France


Director of The French Academy in Rome
In office 1673–1675
Preceded by	Charles Errard
Succeeded by	Charles Errard



Director of the Académie de Peinture et de Sculpture
In office 1695–1699
Monarch	Louis XIV
Preceded by	Pierre Mignard
Succeeded by	Charles de La Fosse

Noël Coypel (born December 25, 1628 – died December 24, 1707) was a famous French painter. People sometimes called him "Coypel le Poussin." This was because his art was greatly inspired by another famous painter named Poussin.

Noël Coypel's Early Life and Art Career
- Working for the King
Leading Art Academies
- Return to Paris and Later Life
Selected paintings
See also

Noël Coypel's Early Life and Art Career

Noël Coypel's father, Guyon Coypel, was an artist from Cherbourg. He wasn't very famous for his art. Noël started learning to paint in Orléans. His first teacher was Pierre Poncet. Poncet himself had learned from a well-known artist named Simon Vouet.

When Noël was fourteen, he moved to Paris. There, he started working in the art studios of Noël Quillerier. He learned very quickly. By the time he was eighteen, in 1646, he was already helping to create decorations for an opera. The opera was called Orfeo, and it was by Luigi Rossi.

Working for the King

Noël's talent caught the eye of Charles Errard. Errard was in charge of art projects for the King. He hired Noël to paint for Louis XIV, the King of France. For almost twenty years, Noël worked only for the King. He painted many artworks for the King's apartments. He also painted the ceilings in the Queen's apartment after the King got married. Noël also created art for other royal places like the Tuileries and Fontainebleau.

In 1659, Noël married Madeleine Hérault. She was also an art student. That same year, he tried to join the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. This was a very important art academy. But because he was so busy painting for the King, his official acceptance was delayed. He finally joined in 1663. Later that year, he showed his special "reception piece" painting. It was called The Reprobation of Cain After the Death of Abel. The next year, he became an assistant professor at the Academy. A few months later, he became a full Professor.

Leading Art Academies

In 1672, Noël Coypel was chosen to be the Director of the French Academy in Rome. This was a big honor. He took over from his old teacher, Charles Errard. Errard had been the first director of the Academy. Noël's son, Antoine Coypel, who also became a painter, went with him to Rome. His brother-in-law, Charles-Antoine Hérault, a landscape painter, also joined them. Noël was the director until 1675. During his time there, the Academy found a permanent home at the Palazzo Capranica. He kept painting for the Royal Family while in Rome. He also became very interested in painting stories from old myths. In 1673, he was accepted into another art group called the Académie de Saint-Luc.

Return to Paris and Later Life

When Noël returned to Paris, he continued his work for the King. In 1685, he married Anne-Françoise Perrin. She was a young art student. They had fourteen children together, but sadly, most of them died when they were very young. One of their sons, Noël-Nicolas Coypel, grew up to be a famous painter too.

Important people like the Marquis de Louvois asked Noël to create designs for the Gobelins Manufactory. This factory made beautiful tapestries. In 1689, Noël was elected Deputy Rector for the Académie Royale. He became Rector in 1690. Then, in 1695, he became the Director, taking over from Pierre Mignard. In 1702, he became Rector again.

Three years later, when he was 77 years old, Noël took on a very difficult project. He painted large pictures (frescoes) above the main altar at the Église des Invalides. This hard work made him very sick. He passed away on Christmas Eve in 1707.