Jacques Courtois Il Borgognone (1621-1676) - Battle

Jacques Courtois or Giacomo Cortesi, known as Il Borgognone (Saint-Hyppolite, February 1621 – Rome, 14 November 1676) oil on canvas depicting a battle scene: 52.5 x 26cm Expert appraisal: Prof. Giancarlo Sestieri Nicknamed the Borgognone of battles, he came from the French region of Franche-Comté, which at the time belonged to Spain. He had his first painting lessons from his father, Jean Courtois. In 1636 in Milan, he enlisted in the Spanish army and remained there until 1639; then, having a great aptitude for painting, he began to paint, changing masters as he moved to different cities. He studied in Bologna with Jérôme Colomès, worked with Guido Reni and Francesco Albani, and in Florence with Jan Asselyn, a Dutch painter specializing in battle scenes. In Verona, Florence, and Venice, he painted works of various kinds. Arriving in Rome in 1640, he had the opportunity to see the "Battle of Constantine" in the Vatican, painted by Giulio Romano. This work, which he liked very much, and the years spent in the service of the Spanish army led him to specialize in the genre of battles, becoming famous for his way of expressing himself and coloring in a "surprisingly true" manner. He later moved to Siena, where he married the daughter of a Florentine painter in 1647, of whom he was extremely jealous. Upon her sudden death in 1654, he was accused of poisoning her. Therefore, he retired to the Fathers of the Society of Jesus and later became a Jesuit. Returning to Rome, he lived in the novitiate of S. Andrea a Monte Cavallo and at the Jesuit House. One of the first works of this period was the series of six battles "won through the intercession of the Virgin Mary" which are located in the primary Chapel of the Roman College. He also contributed to the mural decoration of the corridors of the apartments of Saint Ignatius (the professed house of Jesus). He also held a school: the French painter Joseph Parrocel was his pupil. In 1672, at the request of the Superior General, he prepared the sketches for the decoration of the apse of the Church of Jesus, but he could not complete the work due to his declining health. He died in Rome on November 14, 1676. His brother Guglielmo (Guillaume Courtois) was also a painter of good fame. Today, the works of Jacques Courtois can be found in the major museums of the world, the Louvre in Paris, the Uffizi Gallery and Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the Prado in Madrid, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, etc... Gian Lorenzo Bernini commented: "Among the painters of that time in Europe, no one equaled Courtois in the graphic expression of the horror of battle" (Salvagnini, F.A., I pittori borgognoni, Cortese, Rome, 1937, p. 185).