Nattier, Jean-Marc

Nattier, Jean-Marc (zhäN-märk nätyā`), 1685–1766, French painter; son of the painter Marc Nattier and the miniaturist Marie Courtois. His early works include historical and mythological paintings as well as portraits of Peter the Great and Catherine I of Russia. From 1737 he exhibited portraits regularly at the salons and enjoyed the patronage of the Orléans family and the royal court. He usually portrayed his sitters in the guise of mythological characters and sought effects of graceful elegance at the expense of characterization. He is extensively represented in European museums. A typical work is the Portrait of a Lady as Diana (1756; Metropolitan Mus.).