Jean - Baptiste Vignali

Monegasque painter Jean-Baptiste Vignali (1762–1799), winner of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture prize (France), was invited to the French Academy in Rome in 1782.
Vignali had a letter of recommendation from the King of France’s Superintendent of Buildings and was sponsored by Prince Honoré III of Monaco. As a foreigner, he was not eligible for the scholarship in Rome, but he was admitted to the Academy to study drawing and attended regularly. The director of the Academy, Lagrenée, regularly monitored his progress and helped him gain access to works and authorisation to make copies.