Born Claude Gelée in the Duchy of Lorraine, he arrived in Rome as a youth and adopted the name Claude Lorrain. Working closely with artists such as Agostino... View More

Born Claude Gelée in the Duchy of Lorraine, he arrived in Rome as a youth and adopted the name Claude Lorrain. Working closely with artists such as Agostino Tassi, he mastered landscape etching before focusing on painting panoramic vistas. His patrons—ranging from Pope Urban VIII to English collectors—commissioned idealized views that combined topographical accuracy with classical ruins and pastoral staffage.

Claude’s signature treatment of light—the golden dawn or sunset glow—imbued each scene with poetic atmosphere. His Liber Veritatis, a personal sketchbook of finished compositions, became an authoritative reference for patrons and artists alike. Later in life, he served as director of the French Academy in Rome, cementing his influence on the development of 18th‑century landscape painting across Europe, from Gainsborough to Pannini.