Lafosse, Charles de

Lafosse or La Fosse, Charles de (shärl də lä fôs), 1636–1716, French painter. A pupil of Le Brun, he was more influenced by Veronese and Correggio, whose works he saw when he was in Italy (1658–63). His most classical work was done in the late 1670s, while he assisted Le Brun at the Tuileries and at Versailles, where he was responsible for the Salon d'Apollon. His inclination toward spirited movement and Venetian color is evident in his later work. He was the first notable French artist to use Rubens's works for inspiration. Lafosse was commissioned by Louis XIV in 1688 to paint mythological scenes for the Trianon. A major achievement is his fresco of St. Louis Presenting His Sword to Christ (1700–1702) for the dome of the Hôtel des Invalides, Paris.