Jacques Carrey

Who was Jacques Carrey?

Jacques Carrey was a French painter and draughtsman, now remembered almost exclusively for the series of drawings he made of the Parthenon, Athens, in 1674.

Carrey was born in Troyes, and was part of the embassy of Charles Marie François Olier, marquis de Nointel, to Constantinople in August 1670. Part of Nointel's commission was to purchase manuscripts, medallions and sculptures while abroad. Carrey was recommended by his master, Charles Le Brun, to be included in the entourage as draughtsman. As a result of this, between 1670 and 1679 Carrey executed over 500 drawings of towns, antiquities, ceremonies and examples of local fetes and customs in Asia Minor, Greece and Palestine. He also painted in oil; one surviving canvas of Athens in 1674 shows his skill.

Nointel’s group visited Athens in November 1674. Here in a two-week period Carrey produced about fifty-five drawings of the sculptures on the Parthenon. Thirty-five of these, showing details of the pediments, metopes and frieze, now survive in the Paris Bibliotheque Nationale.