Francisque I Millet, also known as Jean-François Millet I, was a French Baroque painter born in 1642 in Antwerp. He is not to be confused with Jean-François Millet, the renowned 19th-century French Realist painter who shared a similar name. Millet's family moved to Paris when he was very young, and it was there that he was introduced to the world of art.
Millet was a pupil of the landscape painter François de Nomé. Under Nomé's guidance, Millet honed his skills in landscape painting, a genre that he would become known for throughout his career. His landscapes were often dramatic and incorporated elements of the classical and Italianate, reflecting the influence of his time in Paris and his exposure to the works of other artists from the French capital's thriving art scene.
Millet's work gained recognition for its poetic rendering of nature and its delicate treatment of light. He frequently included classical ruins or small figures in his paintings, which were characteristic of the Baroque period's landscape genre. Despite his talent, Millet's career was cut short by his untimely death at the age of 37 in 1679.
Unfortunately, compared to other artists of his time, Millet did not receive the same level of fame posthumously, and his works have often been overshadowed by other Baroque masters. Nevertheless, his contributions to landscape painting in the Baroque style have been acknowledged by art historians, and his works can be found in various art collections and museums across Europe.