Pierre Puget: The Michelangelo of France
Dive into the world of Baroque France with Pierre Puget: celebrated sculptor, painter, draftsman, and architect.
Portret van Pierre Paul Puget (via Wikimedia Commons, collection of the Rijksmuseum) (1732) by Edme JeauratThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Because of his skill and fame across the arts, Pierre Puget (1620–1694) was known as the “Michelangelo of France.” In this engraving, Puget is portrayed with the attributes of his various professions—symbolic objects associated with an individual.
A hammer, chisel, and set of calipers represent his mastery of sculpture. A site plan alludes to his work as an architectural designer. The palette and brushes signal his accomplishments in painting and drawing.
One of the leading protagonists of Baroque art and architecture, Puget blended pathos, drama, and classicism across his oeuvre.
The Assumption of the Virgin (1664/65) by Pierre PugetBode-Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Puget’s works often have an intermedial quality, where an artwork in one medium references or translates the qualities of other media. For example, in this marble relief sculpture The Assumption of the Virgin, the cascading drapery is rendered with painterly dynamism.
In this design for a tabernacle—a vessel used in Catholic services—Puget blends architectural and sculptural elements.
Design for a Tabernacle Design for a Tabernacle (ca. 1650–60) by Pierre PugetThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
The coffered dome ceiling and spiraling columns reference iconic Catholic sites and structures like the dome and baldachin (canopy) of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Tap to explore
St Peter's Basilica
The caryatids and atlantes—sculpted female and male figures that hold up the entablature—recall the figures that Puget carved around the same time for the façade of the City Hall of Toulon, in southern France.
The atlantes bracketing the main portal of the city hall are likely Puget’s only architectural carvings that remain in situ.
Plattegrond van Toulon (via Wikimedia Commons, collection of the Rijksmuseum) (1693/1696) by UnknownThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Puget spent several decades working in Toulon, a mid-sized port city and critical naval base located along the Mediterranean coast.
In 1668, acting on behalf of King Louis XIV, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the Minister of the French Navy, appointed Pierre Puget to the position of master sculptor and decorator of warships at the naval arsenal and shipyard at Toulon.
Scholars have determined that Puget designed the decorative schemes for at least ten vessels. Because they were made of wood and deployed in battle, none of these ships survive intact today. The best way to study their sculptural ornamentation is through the artist’s drawings.
Design for the decoration of a Warship Design for the decoration of a Warship (17th century) by Pierre PugetThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
In this drawing associated with a warship called the Monarque, Puget presents the vessel in profile overlaid with an exploded view of the ship’s stern. This strategically allows as much of the design as possible onto the single sheet.
From the records of the French Royal Navy, we know that the Monarque was over 153’ long and 43’ wide. It had three full-length gun decks and boasted, as of 1669, 94 cannons.
The Monarque was a symbol of Louis XIV's magnificence and France's maritime might. Puget’s ornamentation amplified the ship’s noble name and impressive scale, both in the repeated use of fleur-de-lis heraldry on the upper deck and the massive atlantes on either side of the stern.
In the 1670s, Puget produced several highly finished drawings of maritime subjects. While not necessarily designs for actual vessels, these drawings reflect Puget’s experience as a sculptor and decorator working at the arsenal of Toulon.
From enterprising Dutch artists such as Ludolf Backhuyzen—who depicted naval battles to promote national sentiment—to the idyllic harbor scenes of classicist French artists like Claude Lorrain, marine subjects were immensely popular during the 17th century.
A ship in a port near a ruined obelisk (1675–1680) by Pierre PugetThe J. Paul Getty Museum
In this dramatic drawing executed in pen and black ink on parchment, Puget charts a new course for maritime imagery. Instead of focusing on fleets, battles, or harbors, the artist spotlights the architecture and ornamentation of the ships.
In the foreground, two deckhands struggle to tether a ship to the fragments of a Corinthian column. Another vessel rests at anchor in the middle distance, and a half-finished hull is dry-docked to the right.
The left side of the composition is dominated by a ruined obelisk. It serves as both a theatrical framing device, balancing out the massive warship at center, and a symbol of the ravages of time.
Puget achieved diverse graphic effects via hatching—a method of conveying dimensionality or shadow through a series of closely spaced parallel lines. Vertical lines express the rectilinearity of the obelisk, while small, c-shaped strokes evoke the texture and tension of the rope.
Examining the drawing under magnification allows us to study technical aspects of Puget’s draftsmanship that are invisible to the naked eye. In this photomicrograph, we can see that Puget first sketched out elements of the ship’s hull in graphite before going over them in ink.
Here, we can see how Puget executed the pen and black ink drawing in at least two campaigns. He first applied the horizontal lines in thin, diluted ink and allowed them to fully dry before returning to draw the squiggly lines with a denser, more opaque ink.
A ship in a port near a ruined obelisk (1675–1680) by Pierre PugetThe J. Paul Getty Museum
While Puget's designs for ship hulls are often dominated by heraldry, the vessel at the center of this work is decorated with an asymmetrical assembly of mythological beasts and allegorical figures.
Due to their classicizing dress, the figures on the lower register of sculptural ornamentation are probably allegories, but specifically what they represent remains an open question.
A ship in a port near a ruined obelisk (1675–1680) by Pierre PugetThe J. Paul Getty Museum
After decades honing his skills in Toulon, Puget infused his draftsmanship with an acute sensitivity to shipbuilding, woodcarving, and naval design.
From the ruined obelisk to the enigmatic allegories to the rendering of rope and hair, this drawing demonstrates Pierre Puget’s mastery of diverse media, a testament to his title as the Michelangelo of France.
© 2026 The J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles
This Google Arts & Culture story was created by Getty Graduate Interns William Satloff (curation) and Francesca Weir (production).
To cite this exhibition, please use: "Pierre Puget: The Michelangelo of France" published online in 2025 via Google Arts & Culture, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.