A Life of Line and Light Born in Paris, France, Bernard Picart emerged from a lineage of artistic excellence as the son of the renowned engraver Etienne Picart. His early years were steeped in the rigorous traditions of French draughtsmanship, having studied drawing and architecture at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture. Under the tutelage of masters such as Charles le Brun, Sébastien Leclerc, and Antoine Coypel, Picart h…