A
self-portrait of
Louis-Marie Autissier (1772–1830), a French-born Belgian
portrait miniature painter. He is considered the founder of the Belgian school of miniature painting in the nineteenth century. Born at
Vannes, in
Brittany, he joined the
French Revolutionary Army at
Rennes in 1791. On leaving the army in 1795, Autissier went to Paris and trained his art by studying paintings at the
Louvre. In 1796 he settled in
Brussels, but continued to divide his time between Belgium, the Netherlands, and France. Although he enjoyed great success in his career, serving as
court painter to
Louis Napoleon, French King of the Netherlands, and later to
Willem I, Autissier died penniless.