“ VIEN, JOSEPH MARIE (1716–1809) , French painter, was born at Montpellier on the 18th of June 1716. Protected by Comte de Caylus, he entered at an early age the studio of Natoire, and obtained the grand prix in 1745. He used his time at Rome in applying to the study of nature and the development of his own powers all that he gleaned from the masterpieces around him ”