Nicolas Regnier

Nicolas Regnier was a painter, art dealer and collector who worked in the Caravaggesque manner. Born in Maubeuge, Regnier trained under Abraham Janssens in Antwerp - who was the leading exponent of the Caraveggesque tradition in the region at the time - and subsequently moved to Rome, where he studied with Bartolommeo Manfredi. 

In Rome, by 1620 he was sharing lodgings with painters David de Haen and Dirk van Baburen, both members of the Caravaggisti. Regnier then entered into the household of Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani, a rich banker and prominent patron of Caravaggio. He became Giustiniani's official painter and produced various works of religious and secular subjects for the marquis.

Regnier relocated to Venice in 1626; the move prompted a change in the artist's style, distancing himself from the Caravaggesque tradition and being influenced instead by the Bolognese School, especially the art of Guido Reni. He also expanded his trade into art dealing and did business with international merchants and agents who passed through the city. 

Over the course of his career, Regnier created works covering a wide range of subjects, including genre scenes with card players, soldiers and other familiar subjects, portraits, religious scenes, mythological and allegorical subjects. He is regarded as a follower of the Manfrediana Methodus, which refers to artists who interpreted the work of Caravaggio through Manfredi's teachings. In general, Regnier's style is more refined than the members of the Northern Caravaggisti, who focussed more on bawdy elements in their genre scenes, whereas Regnier's paintings exude elegance and beauty.