Louis Lafitte

Louis Lafitte (November 15, 1770 in Paris – August 3, 1828 in Paris) was a French painter, designer, illustrator and muralist.

Biography He was the son of a master barber. In 1778, his father offered refuge to the painter Simon Mathurin Lantara, who was in desperate financial straits and, during his stay, Lantara excited young Lafitte's interest in painting. He also convinced Lafitte's father that his son had a gift for drawing, so he was sent to study with the engraver Gilles Demarteau then, in 1786, with Jean-Baptiste Regnault. Later he was admitted to the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture.

In 1791, he won Prix de Rome for his painting of Regulus returning to Carthage and became the last painter sent to Rome during the reign of Louis XVI. Two years later, he created his last major works for the Coronation of Charles X at Reims.

He died after a brief illness and is buried in Père-Lachaise Cemetery. His remaining works were sold in an auction at his home.