Petitot, Jean

Petitot, Jean (zhäN pətētō`), 1607–91, French painter in enamel, b. Switzerland. He was apprentice and later partner to a goldsmith, Pierre Bordier, whom he accompanied to England where he served Charles I until the monarch's execution. Returning to Paris, he enjoyed the patronage of Louis XIV and that of many celebrities of the court. On the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, Petitot was imprisoned as a Protestant, but escaped to Switzerland. He perfected the art of portrait painting in enamel, and his works are of great value. Examples are to be found in Amsterdam, in Geneva, and in the Louvre. His son and successor,

Jean Louis Petitot (lwē`), 1653–c.1730, was in the service of Charles II of England. Specimens of his work are preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum.