Alexis Simon Belle
Early Life and Training Born: Paris, France (1674) Died: 1734 Alexis Simon Belle was born in Paris, the second child and only son of Jean-Baptiste Belle, also a painter. His birth and baptism are recorded in the parish register of the church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris. He initially studied under his father before continuing his training in the studio of François de Troy (1645/46-1730). Troy was a painter at the court of King James II in exile at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Belle began producing work at Saint-Germain between 1698 and 1701. Career as a Portraitist Belle's style was…
The Subject Atlas
A chart of Alexis Simon Belle's corpus mapped not by date but by subject. Spokes are what they painted; rings are when; and the threads between stars reveal the patrons and places that secretly connect them.
Spokes — Subject
Each arm of the atlas gathers works by what they depict: portraits, sacred scenes, mythologies, and the scientific studies. Click a spoke to swing that cluster to the top.
Rings — Career Period
Distance from the center marks time. The innermost ring is the earliest period; the outermost, the final years. Style matures as you move outward.
Threads — Shared Context
Coloured lines link works bound by the same patron, commission, or theme. Trace a context to watch related clusters light up across subjects.
