The success Natoire encountered from 1730 to 1750 only equals the notoriety achieved by Boucher. The son of an architect and sculptor, Natoire settled in Paris at a young age, and worked in the workshop of Lemoine. He won the Grand Prize of Rome in 1721 and traveled to Italy between 1723 and 1729. Upon his return to Paris, his reputation preceded him, and he obtained numerous commissions from the king, as well as private clients. He was admitted to the Académie Royale (Royal Academy) in 1734 with his Vénus demandant à Vulcain des armes pour Enée. The set of paintings depicting the theme of the story of Clovis, L'Histoire de Clovis (Musée de Troyes) which Natoire made for Orry, Surintendant des Bâtiments du Roi, as well as another set, Psyché et l'Amour at the Hôtel de Soubise in Paris, both epitomize his ultimate contribution to French painting in the 1730's. Gifted with an exceptional versatility, and capable of treating an infinite variety of themes with grace and ease, he was particularly sought-after as a designer. He created tapestry cartoons, some of the most renowned being a set depicting the History of Don Quichotte for the manufacture of Beauvais, and another, Anthony and Cleopatra, for the Gobelins manufacture. He returned to Rome in 1751 to succeed to Jean-François de Troy as director of the Académie de France. His production greatly decelerated after that. His aptitude as administrator was not as extraordinary as his talent for painting, and he had to resign in 1767. He remained in Italy until the end of his life, and dedicated himself to drawing views of Rome and its area. This production, remarkable for the main part, has been overall conserved.