Claude Lorraine (properly named CLAUDE GELLÉE), a celebrated landscape-painter, was a native of Lorraine, and born in 1600. According to Baldinucci, a relative who travelled as a lace-dealer took Claude when still a boy to Italy, but deserted him in Rome. However, he soon found employment in grinding colours, and doing other menial services for Agostino Tassi, a landscape-painter, from whom he gained some knowledge of art. He seems next to have studied under Godfrey Waals at Naples, and after some time spent in wandering through various portions of Europe, he finally settled at Rome in 1627. Here he made his way slowly with the public, and it was about ten years afterwards that he received a commission from Cardinal Bentivoglio, who introduced him to Pope Urban VIII., for whom he executed four landscapes, two of which, 'La Fête Villageoise' and 'Un Port de Mer au Soleil Couchant,' both dated 1629, are now in the Louvre. His position was now assured, and his works were much sought after. During his later years he suffered from gout and other maladies, and died in November 1682.
Claude's landscapes, which number about four hundred, are found in the chief galleries of Italy, France, Spain, and Germany, and in particular England, which, according to Dr Waagen, contains fifty-four paintings by Claude. Four of his best works—the landscapes known as 'Morning,' 'Noon,' 'Evening,' and 'Twilight'—are in the imperial gallery at St Petersburg. The painting on which Claude himself set the highest value is the 'Villa Madama.' He kept it as a study, and refused to sell it, even when Pope Clement IX. offered for it as much gold coin as would cover the canvas. As Claude's paintings have always commanded very high prices, many copies and imitations have been imposed on buyers. This was the case even during the artist's lifetime; for he set high prices on his works. It has been stated that it was in order to stop the fraudulent trade carried on in his name that he collected the sketches of his pictures in six books titled Libri Veritatis, which are now in the library of the Duke of Devonshire; but these were probably executed simply to preserve a record of the works and of their destination. They were engraved in mezzotint by Earlom, and it was in rivalry with these prints that Turner executed his celebrated Liber Studiorum.
Claude was an earnest, indefatigable student of nature, of which, however, he possessed a far less close and scientific knowledge than is evinced by the works of many modern landscape-painters. He was restricted in his range of subjects and effects, and he had little sympathy with nature in her wilder and sterner moods. On the other hand, his composition, if rather formal, is always graceful and well considered; his colour is singularly mellow and harmonious; and as a sky-painter his work is full of delicacy and great tenderness of gradation and aerial quality. Claude produced about thirty etchings, the best of which are distinguished by great technical skill, refinement, and freedom. Hamerton has pronounced 'Le Bouvier' to be in many ways 'the finest landscape etching in the world.' His plates have been recently reproduced by Amand-Durand, and they are catalogued by Meaume in Le Peintre-Graveur Français of Robert-Dumesnil. His figures, in which he was sometimes aided by other painters, are in general such inferior accessories that he was wont to say he made no charge for them. See Ruskin's Modern Painters; Mrs Mark Pattison (Lady Dilke), Claude Lorrain, sa Vie et ses Œuvres (Paris, 1884); Dullea, Claude le Lorrain (Lond. 1887); Grahame in The Portfolio for March 1895.