Jean-Baptiste Oudry: A Life in Art Jean-Baptiste Oudry, a luminescent figure of the Rococo era, stands as one of France’s foremost animal painters and tapestry designers—a testament to meticulous observation and artistic brilliance. Born March 17, 1686, in Paris, he descended from an artistic lineage; his father, Jacques Oudry, was himself a painter and art dealer, fostering within him an early appreciation for visual artistry. Nicole Papillon, his mother, possessed connections to Jean-Baptiste-Michel Papillon, the celebrated engraver, further enriching his formative environment with exposur…