Samson carrying away the gates of Gaza

Born in Lyon, Thomas Blanchet trained in Paris with Simon Vouet (c. 1635-45) and then in Rome (1645-53), where he was absorbed into the dynamic circle of artists around Nicolas Poussin. In 1654 he created a mausoleum for Reni de Voyer d'Argenson, Ambassador of France in Venice, in S. Giobbe, Venice. By 1655 Blanchet was elected painter-in-chief for the city of Lyon, where he displayed great versatility in many civic projects involving his combined skills as a painter, draughtsman, architect, sculptor and print-maker.