Pierre Subleyras (1699-1749) was born in the French city of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard. He received his initial art education from the painter Jean-Pierre le Jeune Rivalz.

In 1726, Pierre Subleyras entered the Paris Academy of Fine Arts and in 1727 won the Grand Prix for the painting “Moses and the Brazen Serpent” (Moses and the Brazen Serpent), which is in the Museum of Fine Arts in the city of Nimes.

The Grand Prix gave the artist the right to continue his art education at the French Academy in Rome. In 1729, Pierre Subleyras became a member of the Academy of Saint Luke.

By 1730, the artist was already considered one of the most prominent painters in Rome.
Between 1732 and 1745, Pierre Subleyras painted four paintings based on La Fontaine’s fables, commissioned by the Duke of Saint-Aignan, the French ambassador to Rome: “The Loving Courtesan”, “The Loaded Saddle”, and “The Mare of Pierre’s Godfather”.

Pierre Subleyras died on May 28, 1749.

An artist of great talent, a master of the historical genre and portrait, Pierre Subleyras, famous and popular in his time, was forgotten after his death. Interest in his work was reawakened only in the last quarter of the 20th century. In January 2009, Pierre Subleyras’ painting “Portrait of Pope Benedict XIV” was sold at Sotheby’s for 986.5 thousand US dollars.