Nicolas Poussin was born in Villers-en-Vexin, Normandy, in 1594. Because he did not have an artistic training, young Poussin had to learn autodidactically. In 1611/12 the artist became an assistant of the country painter Quentin Varin. In 1612/13 Poussin went to Paris. In 1624 Poussin left France for a long time. Nicolas Poussin met the poet Giovanni Battista Marino in 1622. Marino became his first patron. In 1630 Poussin married Anne-Marie Dughet who was the niece of the painter Gaspard Dughet. Poussin became a member of the Academia Di San Luca. In 1640 the artist went to Paris where he was responsible for the decoration of the Grand Gallery of the Louvre. Until autumn 1542 Poussin was working on many different orders. Nicolas Poussin suffered from Parkinson. During his last years the painter was barely able to work. He died in 1665 and was burried in San Lorenzo in Lucina.