Claude Deruet: A Nancy Baroque Master Claude Deruet (1588 – 1660) stands as a prominent figure in the artistic landscape of 17th-century France, particularly within the vibrant baroque tradition emanating from Nancy. Born into a noble family, his formative years were steeped in artistic patronage and fostered by an apprenticeship under Jacques Bellange, the court painter to Charles III, Duke of Lorraine—a connection that profoundly shaped his career trajectory. This early influence instilled in him a meticulous attention to detail and a masterful command of technique, characteristics that wo…