Lemoyne, François (1688–1737)

French painter. He is remembered for the decoration of the vault of the Salon d'Hercules at Versailles, containing 142 pictures. His Time Revealing Truth (Wallace Collection, London) was painted immediately before his suicide.

Born in Paris, he studied under Louis Galloche, and in 1711 won the Prix de Rome with his picture Ruth and Boaz. He later collaborated with the Venetian painter Antonio Pellegrini, and during a visit to Italy was strongly influenced by the works of Michelangelo and Correggio. He became a member of the French Academy 1718 and just before his death was appointed ‘painter to the king’.