His Time in Italy
While it is definite that Baugin went to Italy between 1630 and 1640, the exact dates remain uncertain at this stage of our knowledge about him. His journey was definitely made easier by his parents' fortune. We only know that he married a Roman woman, Brigitte Daste, and that a daughter was born to them in 1637 and a son in 1640, both in Rome. Two other children of their marriage were baptised in Paris.
While no text exists to confirm the painting of any specific works in Italy, Jacques Thuillier lists six that bear witness to a strong Italian influence.
The studies after Correggio, copies of frescoes from the cupola of St John the Baptist in Parma and the large Sainte Famille avec sainte Élisabeth show Baugin's interest in 16th Century Italian painting. The elegance of the line and its curvature, the elongated hands and the gentle, pensive faces particularly show the inspiration of Parmigianino's and Correggio's works, for example the Vierge à l'Enfant in the Musée Granet. In addition, the Vierge in the Musée des Beaux-Arts at Nancy seems reminiscent of Michelangelo. However it is to Raphael that Lubin Baugin owes a large amount of his inspiration: in their clear, peaceful atmosphere and simple, lucid composition, his Vierges and Saintes Familles refer unequivocally to the grand master of the Renaissance. The works Baugin painted on his return from Italy witness to this.
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