A Shadowed Figure of the Baroque: Nicolas Guérard Nicolas Guérard, a name that whispers through the annals of 17th-century French painting, remains an elusive figure despite his evident skill and intriguing subject matter. Born in France in 1648 and passing away in 1719, Guérard’s life is shrouded in mystery; biographical details are frustratingly scarce. What we *do* know—or rather, what survives through the few attributed works—reve…